Nigeria

COVID-19: FG to vaccinate 144m Nigerians

Monday, January 11, 2021 at 12:34 PM by Rahaman Abiola

- NPHDA said the FG is planning to vaccinate 75% of Nigerians

- The percentage means 144.2 million people out of the 206 million total population are being targeted to receive the COVID vaccine.

- The vaccine is expected to arrive Nigeria in January of February 2021, according to Faisal Shuaib, NPHDA director

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Faisal Shuaib, the director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA), has declared that the plan of the federal government is vaccinating 75% of Nigerians against COVID-19.

The country's current population, according to the National Population Commission (NPC) and the United States (UN), is officially 206 million.

This means the federal government is striving towards having million 144.2 million (75%) Nigerians vaccinated according to Shuaib.

COVID-19: Govt to spend $8 each on vaccine for 144m — FG is planning to vaccinate 144 million Nigerians against COVID-19. Credit: John Moore
Source: Getty Images

Speaking in Abuja on Sunday, January 10, the NPHDA director said free vaccine to immunise 20% of those to be vaccinated will be made available to the country and 91 other countries by the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (GAVI), The Nation reports.

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He further said the Nigerian government may spend around $576 million (approximately N22.3 trillion) to procure COVID-19 vaccine, adding that the vaccination of 50% of Nigeria's population, may consume $8 (N3000) for two doses each.

"The country is expecting only one vaccine (i.e. Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine) in the first batch coming in by end of January/early February.

“The country is not buying any COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer or China. The country plans to get COVID-19 vaccines from two (2) sources: the GAVI and direct purchase from alternative sources (other manufacturers)."

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Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has said he wanted Imams, Bishops, top musicians and sports personalities in the country to take COVID-19 vaccine shots on live television.

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state, revealed this to pressmen at the State House after meeting with the Nigerian leader on Friday, January 8 in Abuja.