The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, has promised that the COVID-19 vaccine would be administered to Nigerians free of charge.
Aliyu, who disclosed this when he featured in a Channels Television programme, Politics Today, said over 40 million Nigerians would be vaccinated through the GAVI arrangement.
The GAVI arrangement is an arrangement put together by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners to ensure equal distribution of new COVID-19 vaccine between the world’s richest and poorest countries.
He said: “Yesterday (Tuesday), the president gave the PTF the mandate to proceed with preparations with regard to the vaccine.
“The president has also given us a marching order that the COVID-19 vaccine be available in Nigeria.
“Making use of the GAVI arrangement, we already have assurance that 20 percent of our population will be accommodated by GAVI in the vaccine.
“We don’t need to pay for that and this will cover 40 million Nigerians or so. But we have to pay for the operations and the logistics associated with it.
“We are also planning to pay for an additional 20 to 40 percent. In general, over the next two years, at least 70 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated before we can have enough immunity.
“The Pfizer vaccine is one of the most effective vaccines at the moment.”
“The vaccine will be administered free of charge to Nigerians.”
The coordinator advised Nigerians not to discard safety measures already in place just because of the vaccine.