government implemented for the pandemic included travel restrictions, lockdown, social distancing enforcement, and face masks in public spaces. To further help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, there were additional restrictions on crowded events and large gatherings (e.g., Church/Mosque services, marriage ceremonies, funerals, etc.). Nigerians were encouraged to stay at home and socially isolate themselves to prevent being infected or infecting others. With time, it became apparent that the above strategies instituted by the Nigerian government and its principal health agency, the NCDC, to promote COVID-19 prevention behaviors among Nigerians were determined by their level of awareness and knowledge regarding the Covid-19 outbreak. The Psychological Aspect of the Pandemic The contributions to this special issue illuminate the different psychological reactions at individual and government levels across select states in the Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern parts of Nigeria. The authors revealed that at the onset, once it was established in Wuhan, China, and long before the WHO classified COVID-19 as a global pandemic, many Nigerians considered Covid-19 a disease specific to foreign countries or disease of affluence. Due to this, many Nigerians continued with their daily lifestyles and were hesitant to adopt preventive measures to curtail the outbreak, even when the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in Lagos, Nigeria, on February 20, 2020. When the outbreak's severity became evident and required urgent attention, the attention of the Nigerian government and its citizens was mainly on the outbreak's physical aspects. The focus on the physical aspects is understandable when we recognize that the field of psychology in Nigeria is still underdeveloped, and Nigerians do not widely recognise the practice of psychology. While the focus was on factors such as face masks and handwashing, little or no attention was paid to the possibility that such a pandemic could influence stress levels, anxiety, and depressive tendencies in Nigerians. More importantly, such a stance diverted attention from the implication of outbreaks such as Covid-19 on the mental well-being of Nigerians. The world was recently thrown into a state of panic and confusion when a new strain of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) emerged. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID- 19 is an infectious disease that was first identified in Wuhan, China, and affects birds and many mammals, including humans. The world health organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. COVID-19 is transmitted from human to human via direct contact with contaminated surfaces and through inhaling respiratory droplets from infected individuals. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus experience mild to moderate or severe respiratory Syndrome (SARS). At the height of the pandemic, no vaccines were available for immediate treatment. Due to the lack of vaccines, the world witnessed higher morbidity and mortality rates. However, since December 11, 2020, vaccines have been available to prevent COVID-19. Corona Virus in Nigeria Like other countries, Nigeria has experienced the brunt of the viral outbreak. Precisely, Nigeria was classified by the WHO as one of the 13 African countries with a higher risk of spreading Covid-19. The first case of the Coronavirus in Nigeria was announced on February 27, 2020, by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). As of September 2020, NCDC reports claimed that there were 7,242 confirmed cases and 1,098 deaths in the country (NCDC, 2020). It is imperative to note that there was limited testing, and it is estimated that some cases of COVID-19 remained undetected in the general population. Based on this, one cannot adequately assess the actual burden of the disease in Nigeria. Government Health Strategies The absence of a vaccine for COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic caused an array of preventive measures globally. Like other governments, the Nigerian government instituted preventive measures to effectively reduce the spread of the disease and educate the populace through its health agency, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The control measures that the Nigerian The Place of Psychology During a Pandemic: Lessons from COVID-19 in Nigeria 1 2 3 4 5 Darlingtina K. Esiaka , Endurance Avah Zacchaeus , Abel Obosi , Runcie C. W. Chidebe , Steven Kator Iorfa 1 Center for Molecular and Behavioural Science, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA. 2 Ministry of Health, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, Nigeria. 3 Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. 4 Project PINK BLUE - Health & Psychological Trust Centre, FCT Abuja, Nigeria. 5 University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Nigerian Journal of Psychological Research, Vol 17, No. 2, 2021 ©2021, Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka Darlingtina K. Esiaka, Center for Molecular and Behavioural Science, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA. Email: de255@rutgers.edu * N I G E R I A N J O U R N A L O F P S Y C H O L O G I C A L R E S E A R C H * N J P R 1