Governors to be vaccinated publicly on March 10 — four days after Buhari

All the 36 state governors and their deputies will receive the COVID-19 vaccine in public on March 10.

The decision was reached on Thursday, after an emergency meeting to discuss the distribution of the vaccine.

The meeting was also attended by Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF); Osagie Ehanire, health minister; and Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Nigeria took delivery of 3,924,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will receive the COVID-19 vaccine publicly on Saturday.

In a communique on Thursday, Kayode Fayemi, chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and governor of Ekiti, said the governors promised that the necessary measures will be in place to ensure effective distribution of the vaccine.

“State governors [have] commited to work with the federal government to ensure required cold chain setup, trained personnel and security of the vaccine rollout are in place,” it reads.

Citizens have been urged to use the portal on the NPHCDA website to register for vaccination.

On his part, the SGF told the governors that the vaccine is safe for people older than 18 years.

Mustapha also noted that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is conducting tests to confirm if the vaccine is safe for rollout.

The SGF added that frontline workers will receive their vaccination alongside the president and vice-president on Saturday.