Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Tuesday confirmed a total number of 148 new coronavirus cases and five deaths in the last 24 hours.

Nigeria’s populated city Lagos and Kano states have the highest numbers. While Lagos recorded 43 new cases, Kano recorded 32 new cases.

"On the 5th of May 2020, 148 new confirmed cases and 5 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours.

"Till date, 2950 cases have been confirmed, 481 cases have been discharged and 98 deaths have been recorded in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory, NCDC reveals.

NCDC said the 148 new cases were reported from 17 states- Lagos – 43, Kano – 32, Katsina – 9, FCT – 10, Zamfara – 14, Taraba – 7, Borno – 7, Ogun – 6, Oyo – 5, Bauchi – 3, Edo – 3, Kaduna – 3, Adamawa – 2, Gombe – 2, Plateau, Sokoto and Kebbi – 1 case each.

Nigeria began a “phased and gradual” easing of more than four weeks of lockdowns in the national capital and the largest city on May 4, President Muhammadu Buhari said in an address on Monday.

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Lagos and Ogun states and the federal capital territory of Abuja entered lockdowns to tame the spread of the new coronavirus on March 30.

Buhari said the lockdowns had come at a “very heavy economic cost,” stripping many citizens of their livelihoods.

Buhari had said “No country can afford the full impact of a sustained lockdown while awaiting the development of vaccines."

Millions of Nigeria’s 200 million citizens, more than 20 million of whom live in Lagos, live on daily wages, and the lockdown left many without money to buy food.