FG gets 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca from MTN

The Federal Government on Sunday received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from MTN Nigeria.

They were part of the planned 1.4 million doses allocated to Nigeria out of the 7 million doses the telecommunication company secured to support the Africa Union’s (AU’s) vaccination programme.

It however expressed concerns over alleged reports of mishandling and mismanagement of vaccines in sites.

It, therefore, stated it is monitoring vaccines accountability across states to ensure that sharp practices are avoided.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, made these known in Abuja, during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.

Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, said: “We appreciate this kind gesture from MTN, and we are already in the process of determining how these vaccines will be deployed to the States.

“We have also instituted mechanisms to ensure that the rollout of the covid-19 vaccines in all states is equally free from corrupt practices.

“Therefore, any information on vaccine mishandling and mismanagement will be handled using stringent measures and appropriate sanctions.”