What data says about Nigerians and their wellbeing

It wasn’t too long ago when Nigerians had the luxury of seeing Buhari’s face on TV. Thanks to the pandemic, the usually elusive president addressed the nation live on television to implement lockdown restrictions.

Indeed, it was a strange time. The bustling streets of Lagos were empty and commercial activities paused. Even generator-powered billboards were switched off due to the lack of activity on the road. Ultimately, many people lost their sources of income and the economy shrunk.

According to the official numbers from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), GDP dropped by 6% during the harsh three months of Q2 2020. And at a sector-specific level, the story was even grimmer. Industries that relied on people saw a fall in output that they hadn’t experienced in over a decade. Transport was down by 50%. Hospitality declined by 40%, retail trade fell by 17%, while construction and manufacturing contracted by