300,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses from MTN arrive Nigeria

The Nigerian government took delivery of the first batch of 300,000 dosages of Covid vaccines out of an entire of 1.4 million dosages assigned to Nigeria by the African Union.

According to a statement issued by MTN on Tuesday named, ‘First set of MTN donation of 1.4 million doses of vaccines received by Nigeria’, stated that the MTN Group had donated $25m for the vaccines, a combination of dosages of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility and from the African Union COVID-19 vaccination programme.

It declared that the vaccines would be disseminated among health workers in Nigeria by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPCHDA).

On behalf of the medical staff, the Director-General of the NPCHDA, Faisal Shuaib, lauded the Nigerian government’s effort, the African Union, and also MTN for its joint effort.

As indicated by him, the arrival of the vaccines is a significant step, and he recommended more partnerships, appealing to organisations to come together for the Nigerian people.

Additionally, talking, Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, showed gratitude 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.”

Stressing on the importance of partnership and collaboration, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, clarified that the current threat of COVID-19 required a huge and faster effort by both the private and public sectors.

Toriola declared that these kind of joint effort confirmed what could be accomplished when there is collaboration for the growth of Nigeria.

He said, “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 government’s efforts to protect and save lives.”