President Buhari, VP take Covid-19 vaccine as Nigeria campaign begins

Abuja,

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo were the first to take the Covid-19 vaccine in Abuja on Saturday following the start of Nigeria’s vaccination campaign.

The country has received its first 3.98 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

The President and VP’s vaccination was aired live on television, a day after the national vaccination campaign began with frontline healthcare workers at the National Hospital in Abuja.

Mr Buhari and Mr Osinbajo were vaccinated at the New Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja in the presence of members of the  Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19, senior government officials and journalists.

Their personal physicians, Dr Sanusi Raafindadi and Dr Nicholas Audifferen, respectively, administered the vaccines.

President Buhari described his decision to be publicly inoculated as ‘‘a demonstration of leadership and faith in the safety and efficacy of the vaccines”.

‘‘I recommend [the vaccine] to all eligible Nigerians so that we can be protected from the virus,’’ he said.

He urged all State governments, traditional and religious leaders and other people of influence to lead mobilisation efforts.

‘‘The vaccine offers hope for a safe country free from the coronavirus,” he said.

‘‘I urge all eligible Nigerians to present themselves and be vaccinated, in accordance with the order of priority already mapped out, at designated centres only,’’ he added.

Use of resources

President Buhari thanked governments, donors, development partners, the private sector, traditional and religious leaders  and other stakeholders who have supported Nigeria’s response to the pandemic, assuring that all the resources will be equitably administered.

He noted that since the beginning of the year 2020, humanity has remained under the burden of the pandemic, “an unseen but very potent enemy around the world”.

‘‘The virus has resulted in over 2.5 million fatalities and destroyed several global and national systems,” he said.

‘‘The response in Nigeria and the Ecowas sub-region has been robust, collaborative and united. It was driven by a collective knowledge of the fact that no country is safe until every country is safe.

‘‘The speedy development of vaccines is quite significant and underscores the collective resolve of humanity to overcome the pandemic. Similarly, the collaborative effort to ensure equal access has brought relief to poor and developing countries.”

The President further said the government will roll out a vaccine administration plan that will see over 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population inoculated by 2022.

Huge population

The country had a population of at least 206 million by 2020, according to data from the United Nations.

Nigeria received its first batch of the vaccines through Covax on March 2, when they were delivered at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja. The vaccine will be administered in two doses.

The government is expecting 129 million vaccine doses to vaccinate 70 per cent of its population within two years.

With more than 150,000 Nigerians infected with the virus and more than 1,800 lives lost, the path to recovery for the people of Nigeria can finally begin, said Mr Peter Hawkins, Unicef’s Country Representative for Nigeria.

“This is a very significant occasion. The arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines into Nigeria is critical in curbing the pandemic. The only way out of this crisis is to ensure that vaccinations are available to all.” 

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of Nigeria’s National Council for Disease Control (NCDC), reported that the nation has finished making preparations for vaccine administration as well as an impact assessment.

 “Amidst the difficulties in the last one year, we must use lessons from the pandemic to prepare for future outbreaks, or else history will not judge us kindly,” he said.

 “As we work towards an important milestone this week, that will require our collaboration, we‘ll continue to work in solidarity with our sister agency and all our partners to ensure a successful vaccination campaign.”