Nigeria Governors in Talks With FG to Speed Up Vaccine Procurement and Prevent Third Wave

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) says governors of the country’s thirty-six states have agreed on ways to speed up the procurement of additional doses of the Covid-19 vaccine as part of measures to curb the spread of a third wave of infections.

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and chairman of the forum stated this in a statement on Wednesday after a meeting, noting that the governors will liaise with the federal government on the new measures to be taken.

The governors decision was taken following a presentation by Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the concerns about a third wave of infections in the state.

“The Forum received an update from the Governor of Lagos State, H.E Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on the recent rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases and call for consensual action to prevent a third wave in the country,” Fayemi said in a statement.

“Following the update, the Forum called on all State Governors to revive their COVID protocols and collaborate with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to take appropriate and immediate actions to flatten the transmission curve.

“The Forum will interface with the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 to accelerate processes required to fast track the delivery of additional vaccines for the country.”

While the highly infectious Delta variant has been confirmed in the Nigerian capital Abuja and southwestern Oyo state, it isn’t yet clear what exact measures the governors will reintroduce.

During the first wave of infections, the federal government had introduced guidelines such as restriction of movement, compulsory use of face masks, and strict adherence to physical distancing.

Those measures were later relaxed following a drop in infection numbers.

By Abel Ejikeme

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