Niger Delta

AU: UNICEF To Supply 220m Doses Of Covid-19 Vaccine

Published

5 years ago

July 14, 2021

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said, as the African continent faces steepest surge in Covid-19 and shortage of vaccine, it has signed an agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutical NV to supply 220 million doses of the J&J single-dose vaccine for all 55 member states of the African Union (AU) by the end of 2022.
According to a press statement made available through its media representative in Africa, about 35 million doses are to be delivered by the end of this year, as the agreement secured an option to order another 180 million doses, bringing the maximum access up to a total of 400 million doses by the end of next year.
The statement noted that the agreement between UNICEF and Janssen Pharmaceutical NV would help implement the Advance Purchase Commitment (APC) signed between the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) and Janssen in March of this year.
It further noted that UNICEF will procure and deliver Covid-19 vaccines on behalf of AVAT, an African Union initiative.
Other partners include the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Bank. While multiple vaccines are anticipated to be part of the initiative’s portfolio, Janssen’s single-dose vaccine is the first to be included.
“African countries must have affordable and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines as soon as possible. Vaccine access has been unequal and unfair, with less than 1 per cent of the population of the African continent currently vaccinated against Covid-19. This cannot continue,” UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, stressed.
“UNICEF, with its long history of delivering vaccines all around the world, is supporting global Covid-19 vaccinations efforts through AVAT, COVAX, and other channels to maximise supply and access to vaccines.
Drawing upon decades of experience as the largest single vaccine buyer in the world, as it does annually for routine immunisation, UNICEF said, it is acting as a procurement and logistics agency on behalf of the AVAT partnership.
UNICEF however, stated that it stood ready to facilitate the procurement, transport and delivery of vaccines as soon as they became available and AU Member States were ready to receive them.
With its extensive capacity and decades of expertise in managing freight, insurance and transport of vaccines, which require strict adherence to cold chain requirements, UNICEF will work with the vaccine industry, freight forwarders and transport companies to get the doses to the communities that need them.
Janssen’s Covid-19 vaccine received a WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) on 12 March and is relying on a global supply network to produce the vaccine. The latest site for production, Aspen Pharmacare in Gqeberha, South Africa, was approved by the WHO on 29 June. Deliveries of the vaccine are expected to begin later in the 3rd quarter of 2021, with allocations to be determined by the Africa CDC.
In addition to its role in this partnership, UNICEF is also a key implementing partner for the COVAX Facility led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO and CEPI. Under this initiative, UNICEF has contributed to the delivery of more than 100 million doses to 135 countries. UNICEF’s role procuring and delivering Covid-19 vaccines on behalf of AVAT will complement and supplement the shared COVAX goal of ensuring equitable access to quality-assured Covid-19 vaccines.
“Vaccinating the world against Covid-19, as the virus continues to spread and mutate, is one of the largest and most complex collective health undertakings the world has ever seen, and we need all hands on deck,” said Fore.
“In the race to defeat this virus, equity is not a ‘nice to have’- it’s an absolute necessity. This pandemic has cost everyone something, and some people everything. Only together can we bring the suffering to an end,” the statement stressed.

Niger Delta

CSOs, Bille Community Urge Solution To Persistent Underwater Gas Eruption

Published

15 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the people of Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State have called for government’s urgent intervention to end the suspected underwater gas eruption in the community.

The groups, under the aegis of the Environmental Rights Action and Social Action, made the call during their advocacy visit to the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), in Port Harcourt.

The Programme Manager of Environmental Rights Action, Mr. Kentebe Ebiaridor, said the visit was to seek clarity on the response efforts of the regulators to the development in the community.

Ebiaridor expressed concern over what he described as “inadequate response from regulatory agencies and the government concerning the incident”.

He said discussions with some officials revealed that there was still no clear timeline for action to address the situation.

According to him, in the absence of clear ownership of the facility linked to the incident, companies operating within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 should be held accountable.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had in a statement issued on March 20 by its Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the commission had commenced an investigation into a gas bubbling incident in Bille Community.

Eyesan said the commission expressed concern over the development and assured residents of its ongoing efforts to address the situation.

Also, the Resource Justice Manager of Social Action, Dr. Prince Edegbuo, warned that the situation could escalate into a public health emergency, if urgent steps were not taken.

Edegbuo called on relevant authorities to release the results of the tests reportedly conducted in the area, stressing that residents had the right to know the condition of their environment.

He also said CSOs were prepared to intensify advocacy on the matter, urging the development of emergency response measures, including possible evacuation plans.

A legal practitioner and community stakeholder, Mr. Commission Deinbo, had, on March 20, said residents had continued to witness unusual signs on the waterways in the area.

Deinbo said the signs included boiling and bubbling from the ground and river, sometimes within residential areas, as well as fire outbreaks, which the residents had always managed to contain.

He appealed to relevant authorities to come to their aid and find a lasting solution to the problem.

In a response, the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of NOSDRA, Mr. Bello Augustin, assured the community that he would relate its concerns to the appropriate quarters.

Augustin also commended the CSOs for their advocacy and concerns to community development in the state.

By: Wokoma Emmanuel & Theresa Frederick

Niger Delta

Police Detain 7, Recover Arms In A’Ibom

Published

19 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State has detained seven suspects and recovered firearms after raiding a criminal hideout in Ndiya Mfia, Ikono Local Government Area.of the State.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, made the disclosure in a statement in Uyo on Wednesday.

John said that the breakthrough which occurred at about 6.00a.m on Wednesday, followed credible intelligence from members of the public.

“We reliably gathered that criminal suspects were hibernating in a compound disguised as worshippers.

“In a decisive operation, our personnel conducted a thorough search of the premises which led to the detention and recovery of arms,” she said.

According to her, the operation was in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police to decisively combat crime in the country.

The police spokesman further said that two locally made double-barrel guns, five expended cartridges, four motorcycles and three generators were recovered during the operation.

She also listed 10 mobile phones, one police crest, four jungle boots, one peak cap, saw blade, spanner, number plates, machetes, a special force vest as other items recovered.

“We also found bottles of suspected spiritual oil and one enlarged photograph linked to an ongoing investigation,” she said.

John said that preliminary investigation suggested that the location was being used as cover for criminal operations.

She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Azare, has directed a comprehensive investigation on the matter in order to apprehend the principal suspect.

John expressed the commitment of the Command to rid the state of crime, and urged members of the public to always support the police with timely and credible information.

Niger Delta

Otu Launches Grassroot Security Network In C’River

Published

20 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has launched a grassroots security intelligence network, named, ”Homeland Safety and Security Agency,” to strengthen community-based surveillance and enhance safety across the state.

Otu, who inaugurated the agency’s office in the Southern Senatorial District of the state on Monday, in Calabar, said similar offices were being inaugurated in the Central and Northern Senatorial Districts.

The Governor, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Emmanuel Ironbar, said the officials of the agency would serve as first point of call before matters would be escalated to main security architecture in the state.

He described Homeland Security as an intelligence-driven structure focused on neighbourhood monitoring and early threat detection through coordinated local efforts.

He said the initiative constituted the directors and field operatives, tasked with gathering and forwarding intelligence to relevant security agencies for prompt action.

Otu noted that the network would serve as a first point of contact before intervention by conventional security agencies.

“It is important that we enhance monitoring of movements across our communities, border areas, and riverine zones to identify suspicious activities and enhance security response.

“The state government will provide necessary gadgets and communication tools to improve efficiency and real-time intelligence sharing,” he said.

Otu called for public cooperation, stressing that ‘’security is a collective responsibility requiring timely information from residents.’’

He said, ‘’to ensure that the security outfit works like a model unit, proper screening would be conducted on the volunteers to weed out undesirable elements from the system.’’

The Tide’s source reports that the Governor handed over 14 motor bikes to the agency’s southern Senatorial district office to enhance their efficiency.

On his part, the Director-General, South of the agency, Mr. Michael Nsan, said the volunteers had played key roles in reducing crime through coordinated patrols and intelligence sharing.

Nsan said over 1,300 volunteers currently supported the operations with additional informants providing critical information across communities.

“Crime rates dropped significantly during the last festive period due to our collaboration with law enforcement agencies in the state,” he said.

The Director-General said volunteers would undergo training and screening, with plans underway for formal recruitment through a government employment portal.

According to him, communication tools, including walkie-talkies, and patrol motorcycles had improved rapid response to security incidents.

He commended the governor’s commitment, noting that the initiative would further strengthen security architecture and community safety across the state.

The source reports that some of the dignitaries who graced the occasion were traditional rulers and government officials.