Nigerian government has received the delivery of the first batch of 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines out of a total of 1.4 million doses allocated for Nigeria by the African Union.
A statement issued by MTN on Tuesday titled, ‘First set of MTN donation of 1.4 million doses of vaccines received by Nigeria’, 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.
It disclosed that the vaccines would be distributed amongst health workers in Nigeria by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.
Speaking 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.
Shuaib said 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.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, expressed appreciation on behalf of the government.
“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, he said.”
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.
“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,” Toriola said.
NPDHA also acknowledged MTN on their official Twitter handle for their kind donation of 300,000 doses of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine for the country.
“We are grateful to MTN Group (@MTNNG) for their kind donation of 300,000 doses of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine. Nigeria appreciates.”