The Federal Government has warned residents of Kano State and indeed Nigerians against buying products described as COVID-19 vaccine from street traders and hawkers.
Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, gave the warning at the Presidential Task Force briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
According to Mohammed, the said vaccine has not been approved by different regulatory bodies in Nigeria, such as the National Agency For Food and Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
The minister said the vaccine is yellow in colour and is being hawked on the street of Kano and its environs.
“The federal ministry of information and culture and its agencies have put up a public enlightenment and advocacy campaign to continue to reach Nigerians with information on how they can protect themselves and avoid contracting the disease,” he said.
“This is necessary because in the absence of any vaccine or drug, non-pharmaceutical intervention remains the most effective way to contain the spread of the disease and protect Nigerians.
“By the way, you must ignore the vaccine being hawked in Kano which is called COVID-19 vaccine. It’s yellow in colour. It is not certified by anybody; please don’t patronise the hawkers.
“The campaign has, therefore, continued to focus on the need for the populace to adhere strictly to social distancing and mass gathering restrictions. Wear face masks and ensure good personal hygiene.”
The minister said the ministry has now rolled out a new set of television, radio jingles to further sensitise Nigerians.
He said the jingles are in English, Pidgin English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are now running on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).
“They are in the process of rolling them out on state and private radio and television stations across the country and also on social media. We have no choice since information remains the most potent tool that can be deployed against the virus today,” he said.
