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Nigeria Receives 300,000 Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine From AU

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The Nigerian Government has received 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the African Union (AU).

Naija News reports that the delivery is the first set of MTN donations of 1.4 million doses of vaccines designated for Nigeria.

In a statement issued by MTN on Tuesday, the company said the vaccines would be distributed amongst health workers in Nigeria by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA).

It noted that the MTN Group had contributed $25m for the vaccines, a combination of doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility and from the AU COVID-19 vaccination programme.

The statement said the Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, explained that the ongoing threat of COVID-19 required a vast and accelerated effort by both the private and public sectors.

Toriola said the partnership between AU, Nigeria, and MTN has demonstrated what could be achieved when working together for the progress of Nigeria Africa.

“I thank the Nigerian government and the AU for the opportunity they granted MTN to collaborate and contribute towards the delivery of these vaccines. We are truly privileged to have been able to play our part in contributing towards the government’s efforts to protect and save lives,” he said.

On behalf of the health care workers, the Director-General of the NPHDA, Faisal Shuaib, commended the efforts of the Nigerian government and the AU, as well as MTN for its collaboration.

According to him, the arrival of the vaccines is a major step, and he advocated for more collaborations, imploring organisations to join the drive for the Nigerian people.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, expressed appreciation on behalf of the government.

He said, “The donation of COVID-19 vaccines is truly helpful, and we are grateful. We can only succeed against COVID-19 when we fight together.

“These vaccines will go a long way in protecting health workers, who are on the frontline, and need all the protection they can get at this critical moment, hence the prioritisation of their vaccinations.”

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