FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
He is suspected to be the first Nigerian and one of the few prominent world leaders who have received the vaccine.
His media aide, Paul Ibe, confirmed some pictures earlier shared on Twitter by the Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, showing Atiku receiving the shot.
Former Vice President The Wazirin Adamawa ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR receives Pfizer Covid-19 jab vaccination… pic.twitter.com/286BCmBqHD
— Dele Momodu Ovation (@DeleMomodu) January 7, 2021
“The importance of the COVID-19 vaccine in mitigating the effect of the coronavirus cannot be overstated, particularly in Africa and Nigeria. Yesterday (Wednesday), as part of the mass vaccination programme, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,” Ibe said.
“He is anxiously looking forward to when Nigerians, especially medical professionals in the frontline and the most vulnerable will be vaccinated in the country.
Minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, said a technical working group was working on which vaccine would best suit Nigeria, considering that the country had no -80 degrees freezers.
“A technical working group is working on the question on vaccine. We have signed up with the World Health Organisation and the GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) for access to vaccines immediately they are available,” Ehanire said.
The Pfizer vaccine is the first to be granted emergency use authorisation by the WHO, and according to Pfizer and BioNTech, it is 90 percent effective.
The vaccine has also been approved by the UK, the US, Malaysia and Switzerland.
The Nigerian government had said it was expecting the delivery of 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the country in early 2021.
