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FG Declares COVID-19 Vaccine Safe As Top Officials Take Jabs
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Nigeria commenced vaccination with the Oxford vaccines last Friday with Cyprian Ngong, a medical doctor becoming the first person to receive a jab in Nigeria. The rollout started with healthcare workers who are often at the risk of exposure to infections being the first responders to patients.
Chairman, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said Monday at a media briefing in Abuja said that he was leading all members of the PTF to receive the first doses of the vaccine as a further demonstration of the safety and efficacy.
“Let me underscore at this point that in this war, we are all involved in this because nobody is safe until everybody is safe. Our ultimate objective is to vaccinate about 70 per cent of our population which is about 200 million, between year 2021 and 2022,” he said.
Reacting to apathy and hesitancy over COVID-19 vaccines, Mustapha said: “Nigerians should never allow vaccine hesitancy propagated through conspiracy theories sway you from the path of doing the right thing. Taking the vaccines will protect you, your loved ones and the entire community. I similarly wish to warn against patronizing unauthorized vaccines peddlers. The only recognised safe and efficacious vaccines are those coming through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). We should remain vigilant.”
Mustapha, Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire and his Information and Culture counterpart, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, among other members of the task force yesterday received their first dose of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.
Others were the Minister of Environment, Muhammad Mahmood; Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora; Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeoma, and the National Incident Manager, PTF, Mukhtar Muhammad, among others.
Also, four journalists who are considered part of the critical front-liners in the fight against the virus received the vaccine in a representative manner. They were Friday Okoregbe, Channels Television; Hassan Umar Faruk, Liberty Television; Nancy Oyediya Urum, Africa Independent Television (AIT); and Rahila Lassa, Voice of Nigeria (VON).
The vaccines were administered by Obuba Horsefall, the supervising nurse, Adaga Lucy and Obodia Ogonna, after which each of them was issued a vaccination card showing they have received the first dose of the vaccine and when they will receive the second dose.
This is coming after President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari yesterday received the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The public vaccination, officials say, is to reassure Nigerians and douse skepticisms about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.
Gambari was given the jab after e-registration and filling of their vaccination card. He sat for 15 minutes as prescribed by the vaccination routine. The Chief of Staff was thereafter presented with vaccination card by the Chief Medical Director of the State House Medical Centre, Dr Husain Munir.
In his remarks, Gambari said the vaccination was painless and that he followed the footsteps of President Buhari, who demonstrated leadership alongside his deputy to receive the jabs on Saturday. He advised eligible Nigerians to take the vaccines, assuring that it is safe.
The government had on Saturday hinted that getting COVID-19 vaccination could become a requirement for all international passengers as the fight against the killer infection continues to gain steam.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 has made adequate provisions to deploy the vaccines to all states and vaccination sites where people will be vaccinated according to set priorities beginning with the frontline health workers and other support staff.
The state launch of the vaccination for frontline health workers will begin today at the state treatment centres while many governors have agreed to flag off vaccination tomorrow, Wednesday, just as the roll out for the general public will commence from March 12, barring any change.
Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, said government is working with CACOVID to ensure that the vaccines are airlifted to the states in time for the roll out.
He noted that it is expected that the states will roll out vaccination only when local governments have met the minimum criteria for successful conduct of the campaign, such as training, cold chain status, proposition of data tools, availability of transport logistics for healthcare workers, and adequate security for vaccines.
The Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG) said a 49-year-old woman died as a result of severe coagulation disorders. It also confirmed another 35-year-old woman developed a pulmonary embolism and is now recovering.
BASG, however, said: “Currently there is no evidence of a causal relationship with the vaccination.”Swiss newspaper Niederoesterreichische Nachrichten as well as broadcaster ORF and the APA news agency reported that the women were both nurses who worked at the Zwettl clinic.
BASG said blood clotting was not among the known side effects of the vaccine and confirmed it was pursuing its investigation vigorously to completely rule out any possible link.
It noted the vaccine had been approved by the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organisation (WHO) based on a global clinical programme involving 23,000 participants.
This is coming two months after South Africa rejected about 1.5 million doses of the same vaccine after evidence emerged that the vaccine did not protect clinical-trial participants from mild or moderate illness caused by the more contagious virus variant that was first seen in the country.
Apart from the concerns raised in Austria and South Africa, preliminary results from a trial of the vaccines are not clear and did not reflect data from older people, the New York Times reported.
Furthermore, concerns about the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine have also hampered its rollout in Italy, with some refusing to have the jab as they believe the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines offer more protection.
President Bola Tinubu has approved salary increases of between 30 and 80 per cent for personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces, with about 250,000 officers and men set to benefit from the enhanced remuneration package aimed at boosting troop welfare and morale.
The new salary structure, which takes effect from September 1, will see officers above the rank of Colonel receive a 30 per cent salary increase, while personnel from the rank of Colonel down to Warrant Officer will enjoy a 50 per cent increment. Soldiers from the rank of Private to Staff Sergeant will receive the highest increase of 80 per cent.
The approval will raise the annual salary bill for the Armed Forces from N660 billion to N924 billion.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the salary review underscores the Tinubu administration’s commitment to improving the welfare of military personnel in recognition of their sacrifices in safeguarding the country.
The President noted that members of the Armed Forces have continued to display courage and dedication in confronting banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other security threats across the country.
“The men and women who help to keep us safe in our homes must be supported and appreciated in the course of their duties to our nation,” Tinubu said.
He assured that his administration would continue to prioritise troop welfare while strengthening the operational capacity of the military through improved equipment and technology.
“Our administration will continue to prioritise troop welfare and modernise the armed forces by providing the weapons and technological tools needed to discharge their duties,” the President stated.
Tinubu stressed that security remains central to national development, saying no country can attain sustainable progress without guaranteeing the safety of its citizens.
“Our administration believes that no nation can achieve greatness without security. We therefore remain resolute in mobilising all military and law enforcement assets to eliminate security threats and protect the lives and property of all Nigerians,” he said.
The President urged military personnel to see the enhanced remuneration as a demonstration of the nation’s appreciation for their service and commitment.
“I urge our servicemen to take our gesture as a sign of our deep appreciation of the services they render to our fatherland. Together we shall prevail over the enemies intent on destroying the fabric of our nation,” Tinubu added.
General Overseer of Living Faith Church Worldwide aka Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu over the worsening insecurity and economic hardship in Nigeria.
In a viral video shared online, Oyedepo alleged that the Tinubu administration was failing to take decisive action to address the challenges bedeviling the Nigerian people.
The cleric expressed anger over the persistent attacks and killings across the country, issuing a note of warning that Nigerians who have endured the situation for a long time may no longer remain silent.
The General Overseer, however, condemned those behind the attacks and killing of unarmed Nigerians, stating that victims should not be expected to show sympathy towards the perpetrators of the heinous crime.
“The president needs to act now and stop pretending. You can’t slaughter members of my family and expect me to pray for you. I will pray against you and your household.
“The government is pretending like they don’t know what to do. I have been quiet for a long time, but the bubble is about to burst,” he fumed.
He equally accused the government of appearing unaware of the severity of the security crisis, saying leaders had failed to demonstrate the urgency required to protect citizens and restore confidence.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has argued that President Bola Tinubu is not qualified to contest the 2027 presidential election, citing his alleged failure to present his primary and secondary school certificates to the public.
Tinubu, in the form he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for next year’s election, reportedly left blank the sections designated for his primary and secondary school education, raising concerns among some Nigerians, particularly members of the opposition.
A lawyer and ADC chieftain, Kalu Kalu, alleged that the President committed forgery by previously presenting certificates he did not possess, an act he claimed automatically disqualifies him from contesting for the nation’s highest office. He cited Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that a person is not qualified to run for the office of President if they have presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He alleged that the primary and secondary schools Tinubu claimed to have attended either did not exist at the time or were falsely represented. Kalu further claimed that although Tinubu presented those certificates during the 2023 election, the due diligence carried out by the ADC’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the last general election, had prompted the President to remain silent about his primary and secondary school education in his latest submission to INEC.
Kalu also questioned the authenticity of President Tinubu’s Chicago State University certificate, saying it had been subjected to scrutiny in a United States court.
The ADC stalwart said: “Atiku Abubakar went for the discovery of the academic records of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the US court directed Chicago State University to release those academic records of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And when they were released, it was found that Bola Ahmed Tinubu made a very dangerous false entry that he attended Government College, Lagos and graduated in 1970, whereas Government College, Lagos, was not even in existence in 1970; it was established in 1974. That’s one.
Speaking on whether the matter could be relitigated, Kalu said: “The challenge is that the Supreme Court’s position on pre-election matters is that only an aspirant can challenge another aspirant in the race. Now Tinubu has emerged, and nobody from the APC is challenging him. But the issue now is Section 29 of the Electoral Act. Is the Electoral Act superior to the Constitution? The answer is no. If the Constitution says, under Section 137(1)(j), that you are not qualified to contest an election if you have presented a forged certificate to INEC.
