Dataset for understanding the information dissemination trends, public perception and attitudes to COVID-19 pandemic among Nigerians

This data article describes the information dissemination trends, public perception and attitudes to COVID-19 pandemic among Nigerians. These data were gathered from Twitter users in the country. These data include the timestamp, user handle, tweets, retweets, COVID-19 confirmed cases and death toll in Nigeria between a week before the first reported case in Nigeria and few days into the commencement of lockdown relaxation in the country. These data might serve as a reference source to capture early pandemic detection, a real-time method of pandemic surveillance to monitor information spread, and examine content of public perception and attitude