Ishaq Akintola, MURIC director, receives COVID-19 vaccine

Ishaq Akintola, director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has received a shot of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Akintola received a jab of the vaccine, on Friday, after a sensitisation programme on COVID-19 vaccine organised for Muslim scholars and clerics by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).

Earlier in the month, Nigeria commenced its COVID-19 vaccination with frontline health workers in Abuja.

The first shot of the vaccine was given to Cyprian Ngong, a medical doctor at the National Hospital, Abuja.

“To ensure that all Muslims take the COVID-19 vaccine, we have developed a workable strategy of engaging our people through quality, sustainable, practical, visual and audio awareness campaigns with perceptive and communication that is convincing and effective,” Akintola said.

Speaking at the programme, Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, said AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective.

“The European Union’s leading states have re-confirmed to restart their roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine after Europe’s medicines regulator concluded it was safe and effective,” Ehanire said.

On March 2, the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine finally arrived in the country courtesy of the UN-led COVAX facility, which donated 3,924,000 doses to Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo have received shots of the vaccine.

Other political leaders who have received the vaccine include Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun; Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos state; Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano; Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta; Ahmadu Fintiri, Adamawa; Rotimi Akeredolu, Ondo; Muhammad Badaru, Jigawa; Gboyega Oyetola, Osun; Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti, and Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Kwara.