The Federal Government, through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), has revealed a N10.6bn budget for the transportation of the approved COVID-19 vaccines across the country.

In the “Estimated Budget for States Rollout of COVID-19 Vaccines (end-to-end)” released on Friday, Kano State has the largest allotment for transportation at N685.4 million while N558.6 million is for distributing the vaccines to Lagos State, the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Katsina has N476 million pegged on distributing vaccines while N396.3 million will be spent in Oyo State. The lowest budget for vaccine transportation is Bayelsa state at N121 million.

The NPHCDA also budgeted N1.4 billion for procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) and N373m for adverse events following immunisation kits (AEFI kits).

The total amount for the transportation of vaccine, procurement of Personal Protective Equipment, AEFI kits, and sensitisation was summed up at N12.7bn.

Peoples Gazette reported that finance minister Zainab Ahmed said the federal government would draw a supplementary budget in March to cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations.

On Tuesday, the much awaited Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in Nigeria amidst lavish reception. The government said 3.9 million doses were received.

Nigeria flagged off the roll out of the mass inoculation programme at a pomp ceremony in Abuja on Friday. Four frontline heath workers- three medical doctors and a nurse received jabs of the vaccines in public glare.

President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo are expected to publicly receive their own jabs as a confidence boosting show to a vaccine-hesitant public.