Nigeria Commences COVID-19 Vaccination

The formal rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has commenced in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria on Friday.

The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, flagged off the exercise on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.

A medical doctor, Dr. Cyprian Ngong, of the National Hospital, Abuja, received the first shot of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.

The event, which is ongoing at the National Hospital, has in attendance the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, and other critical stakeholders in the nation’s health sector.

They include the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, and the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, among others.

At the exercise on Friday, Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, described the moment as a “watershed”.

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, also said it was crucial “to first cater for those who cater for us”.

Recall that Nigeria had on Tuesday received about four million doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine shipped into the country through the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport.

The President and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will, on Saturday, receive shots of the vaccines to dissipate vaccine hesitancy amongst Nigerians.