The first of its kind in the world, the brand new #COVIDLawSeries puts a new spin on the global phenomenon that has been our collective reality for nearly two years: the coronavirus pandemic. While there has been no shortage of worldwide coverage about the pandemic (the tragic death toll, health ramifications, economic crises, the political fallout, and the changing cultural landscape), there has been no series focused solely on the myriad of legal issues surrounding COVID-19. That is until now, of course.

The nine-part limited series, slated to premiere from the 1st of Ocotber 2021, explores the ways in which citizens’ rights and legal obligations are being re-contextualized in the face of a world-altering health disaster. It provides the public with substantive and analytical information on the law as it relates to COVID-19. It features expert dialogue on various issues such as legal requirement for COVID-19 status disclosure, labour and employment relations, implementation of COVID-19 vaccinations, the criminality of spreading false information on COVID, rules of travel compliance to COVID-19 regulations, COVID-19 and disability rights, among many others.

The series is set to be helmed by Jake Okechukwu Effoduh, a lawyer and human rights activist whose breadth of professional and research experience has linked him to the BBC, World Economic Forum, Harvard University’s Library Innovation Lab, the ECOWAS, the African Human Rights Commission, and the UN Human Rights Council. In 2019, he received the Vanier Scholarship, the Canadian government’s highest doctoral award.

Effoduh will be joined on the show by guests spanning various fields including specialist lawyers, medical experts, prominent scientists, and celebrities in immersive discussions about the arising legal issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and beyond. The show will also feature interviews with everyday citizens and field questions and contributions from the online community via the social media hashtag #COVIDLawSeries