No fewer than 70 per cent of the Nigerian population will be vaccinated when the Federal Government takes delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines.
This is a target the government has set for itself and has assured Nigerians that it will do all it can to ensure the goal is achieved.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, gave the assurance on Monday on behalf of the government at an event in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Speaking at the ‘Sensitisation Meeting on COVID-19 Vaccine introduction for Christian Leaders and Scholars, he stated that no one would be allowed to travel to any part of the world without getting vaccinated in the coming weeks.
Mustapha, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 noted that the countries across the world were already embracing vaccination and Nigeria cannot be left out.
He, therefore, urged Nigerians to wave off conspiracies, stressing that the COVID-19 vaccines that the Federal Government was expecting would be properly screened by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) before administration.
The government’s assurance to ensure many Nigerians get vaccinated comes four weeks after the PTF National Coordinator, Dr Sani Aliyu, highlighted the importance of getting immunised against COVID-19 when the vaccines were available.
Dr Aliyu who was a guest on one of the January editions of Channels Television’s Sunday Politics said the vaccines would only be administered at individual’s will.
He had also clarified the controversy trailing the insinuations that people might have to pay to get vaccinated, insisting that it would be free.
The PTF coordinator, however, explained that in administering the vaccines, the government would prioritise the healthcare workers and elderly among others in the vulnerable group.
On Sunday, Nigeria recorded 685 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 – the lowest single-day figured to be reported since the beginning of the second wave of the pandemic in December 2020.
This brings the total confirmed cases in the country to 131,242, out of which 104,989 people have recovered with the death toll from COVID-19 at 1,586.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the nation has 24,667 active cases in various states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
See the breakdown of cases according to states below:
| States Affected | No. of Cases (Lab Confirmed) | No. of Cases (on admission) | No. Discharged | No. of Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagos | 49,274 | 8,027 | 40,933 | 314 |
| FCT | 16,863 | 5,754 | 10,983 | 126 |
| Plateau | 7,894 | 550 | 7,291 | 53 |
| Kaduna | 7,661 | 542 | 7,062 | 57 |
| Oyo | 5,417 | 1,205 | 4,127 | 85 |
| Rivers | 5,276 | 713 | 4,484 | 79 |
| Edo | 3,794 | 609 | 3,046 | 139 |
| Ogun | 3,381 | 536 | 2,802 | 43 |
| Kano | 2,992 | 355 | 2,558 | 79 |
| Delta | 2,323 | 534 | 1,737 | 52 |
| Ondo | 2,300 | 249 | 2,000 | 51 |
| Kwara | 1,936 | 346 | 1,549 | 41 |
| Katsina | 1,864 | 107 | 1,730 | 27 |
| Nasarawa | 1,810 | 1,472 | 325 | 13 |
| Enugu | 1,738 | 296 | 1,421 | 21 |
| Gombe | 1,606 | 121 | 1,443 | 42 |
| Osun | 1,537 | 369 | 1,136 | 32 |
| Ebonyi | 1,423 | 182 | 1,211 | 30 |
| Abia | 1,220 | 114 | 1,094 | 12 |
| Bauchi | 1,142 | 8 | 1,117 | 17 |
| Imo | 1,116 | 263 | 835 | 18 |
| Borno | 957 | 147 | 774 | 36 |
| Anambra | 893 | 540 | 334 | 19 |
| Akwa Ibom | 878 | 327 | 541 | 10 |
| Benue | 848 | 284 | 544 | 20 |
| Sokoto | 748 | 32 | 690 | 26 |
| Niger | 688 | 257 | 417 | 14 |
| Bayelsa | 669 | 69 | 576 | 24 |
| Adamawa | 631 | 363 | 240 | 28 |
| Ekiti | 577 | 102 | 466 | 9 |
| Jigawa | 460 | 59 | 390 | 11 |
| Taraba | 412 | 83 | 314 | 15 |
| Kebbi | 270 | 4 | 253 | 13 |
| Yobe | 241 | 34 | 199 | 8 |
| Zamfara | 203 | 10 | 185 | 8 |
| Cross River | 195 | 4 | 179 | 12 |
| Kogi | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
