Tuesday Update: Vaccine Arrival & Fuel Queues In Abuja

Good morning,

We are leading with the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria, the emergence of fuel queues in the nation’s capital, and how the Benue State government is managing herdsmen’s activities.

The Vaccines are here

All things being equal, almost four million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in Nigeria today. The vaccines, supplied by the WHO-backed COVAX, will include the AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson types, according to the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora.

But how will the vaccines be administered? The federal government, which launched a strategy (code-named ‘TEACH’) and an online registration portal on Monday, is planning to first inoculate frontline health workers and strategic leaders. Persons above the age of 50, especially those with pre-existing health conditions, will also be given priority.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari and other key leaders are expected to receive the vaccine jab in public.

NCDC: Nigeria on Monday recorded 360 new cases and eight deaths as a result of the virus, according to the disease control agency.

Oyewale Tomori: The virology professor has warned that Nigerians must be cautious of their attitude towards the pandemic or risk a third wave, which could be deadlier.

A Looming Fuel Scarcity?

Long queues of vehicles at petrol stations emerged in Abuja on Monday as fears grew over a rise in petrol prices.

On Sunday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had denied reports of any increment in the price of petrol in March.

But some of the Abuja motorists who spoke to Channels Television on Monday said they spent as much as five hours to access the product.

Context: As the global prices of oil increase, marketers believe the landing cost of fuel will also increase. But the NNPC, a government agency, is the only exporter of petrol into the country, due to foreign exchange scarcity, and can still determine, through its subsidiary, the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, how much the product should cost. Perhaps once the messaging from the NNPC that it doesn’t plan to increase the price of the product in March gets through to marketers, the queues will disappear. Still,…