From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
At about 11: 05am, on Friday, Dr. Cyprian Ngong, a family Physician working at the National Hospital, Abuja, was administered the first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, marking the historic commencement of COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria.
Few other health workers including Dr. Joseph Nuru, Eragbai Faith and Dr. Tahir Yunusa who saved 10, 549, lives at Gwagwalada COVID-19 isolation/treatment centre, Abuja, were also privileged to be part of the historic event which took place at the Trauma Centre, National Hospital, Abuja.
Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, administered the vaccine to Dr. Ngong, at brief ceremony to herald the commencement of the vaccination exercise in Abuja.
He commended Dr. Ngong and several other health care workers who have been working tirelessly at different COVID-19 isolation centres since March 2020 providing counsel and treatment to COVID-19 patients.
Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, represented by Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe; Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha; Ministers of Health, FCT and several others including representatives of donor partners attended the event.
Appreciable number of local and international journalists also gathered to witness and report the event to local and international audience.
PTF Chairman, Boss Mustapha, in his remarks, described the event as a mile stone in the national response to COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, indicating that Nigeria was determined to win the war.
He said: “The human activities that culminated in the arrival, authorization and distribution of vaccines have shown that humanity, when working for a common goal and unity of purpose, possess the capacity to achieve a lot.
“In keeping with our promise, the PTF is prioritizing the frontline healthcare workers in the first batch of vaccines received. They have fought hard to save us. They laid down their lives for us, and in the ICUs and treatment centres, they became our last line of defense.”
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, confirmed that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), certified the vaccine safe for use in Nigeria.
He explained that the vaccination exercise will come in four phases in line with the arrival of vaccines in batches. “Each phase targets a specific segment of our eligible population to ensure equity in vaccine deployment.”
He confirmed that pregnant women and persons under the age of 18 are ineligible to take the vaccine except medically certified as vulnerable due to underline ailment. “The reason is that there’s no scientific assessment of the safety of people in that group.”
The Minister warned against any foul play from the people involved in the vaccination exercise, stressing that any infraction will embarrass Nigeria and attract heavy sanctions. “The vaccination exercise must be done in accordance with the guidelines as clearly stated by federal ministry of health,” he said.
Minister of FCT, Mohammed Musa Bello, in his remarks, disclosed that 65 centres have been designated as vaccination centres across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Meanwhile, Dr. Ngong, neutralized the unfounded fear about the COVID-19 and encouraged Nigerians to avail themselves for the vaccine stating that it’s safe and not a biological weapon as claimed by some “uninformed” people.
Dr. Ngong said he wished the vaccine had arrived earlier than now, he wouldn’t had lost his father who apparently died of COVID-19 complications.