EXTRA: Nigeria holds reception ceremony for COVID-19 vaccine

After a long, doubt-laden wait, hope became reality on Tuesday when Nigeria received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccine.

So it was no surprise that the red carpet was rolled out for the much-anticipated arrival — figuratively speaking.

But on a non-figurative note, an actual reception ceremony was organised by the presidential task force on COVID-19 (PTF) for the arrival of the vaccine.

If dignitaries, VIPs and some government officials can enjoy reception ceremonies, why not the vaccine doses that may yet save our lives.

The arrival not only merited a ceremony, but also the presence of the ‘big guns’ overseeing Nigeria’s COVID-19 response.

Courtesy of a post on Twitter, Faisal Shuaib, chairman of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA); Osagie Ehanire, minister of health; and Chikwe Iheakwazu, director-general of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), were spotted in attendance.

Sights and more sights…as Nigeria awaits the arrival of #COVID19 vaccines.

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Who have you spotted?#YesToCOVID19Vaccine pic.twitter.com/ndXEGlv8Kt

— NPHCDA (@NphcdaNG) March 2, 2021

If you are wondering whether the elaborate reception ceremony was necessary, take a deep dive into the account of setbacks Nigeria faced in the journey towards securing vaccine doses.

After you are done, you may have a rethink.