I think the big lesson here is that this vaccine allocation and distribution is a ‘constantly developing situation.’ The media and everyone else must approach it with that context. Plans and strategies can change anytime, even while the ultimate goal remains the same.
So we’ve seen Covax modify initial distribution arrangement for Nigeria. But timelines so far intact.
Note that Covax is not the only facility Nigeria will be benefiting from, there’s also the @_AfricanUnion one (which I imagine’ll be discussed at ongoing 34th Assembly Session).
The WHO has also made it clear that there’s one milestone still to be crossed with the AZ vaccine - it has to be formally listed by it for emergency use. But this listing process is “ongoing” and outcome “expected soon.”
Health reporting of this nature requires a level of nuance and context and journalistic responsibility that some Nigerian papers have consistently demonstrated they not only do not possess but are also incapable of developing. It’s a tragedy because misinformation is COSTLY.
I think the lessons for the public are clear. Always be wary of sensationalized reporting and headlines. Consider the vaccine situation a ‘developing situation’ - open to shifts in plans and strategies. Timelines as well could change. Many things are not cast in stone.
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Minister of Transportation @ChibuikeAmaechi has just been a guest of @seunokin on Channels. Lots of interesting things said about rail and ports. Let me share the ones I can remember
The $1.9bn Kano-Katsina-Maradi Line which will be flagged off this week (groundbreaking) by PMB is one of Nigeria’s strategic attempts to position itself to take advantage of Niger’s landlocked status. The line will connect from Kano to the Apapa Port in Lagos.
According to him, the financing being negotiated will come mostly from Europe.
Also, he says Maradi, the terminus of the line, is only 20km from the Nigerian border. Plan is for Maradi to have an Inland Port Complex that will process goods coming from or going to Apapa Port.
The basic idea is to get the private sector to develop and manage key federal roads, as a way out of the funding limitations that have historically existed.
So that’s how I went to Idu Station yesterday to see the new Automated Fare Collection system at work. Told that 85% of tickets bought for the 7am to KD were bought online. People are abandoning their initial skepticism and starting to trust the system more. Here’s what’s changed
Anyone familiar with rail travel between Kaduna and Abuja in the last few years is fully aware of just how stressful getting tickets can be. People showing up several hours ahead and not even sure they’ll get a ticket. A whole industry of touting arose to fill the gap. Naturally.
In Dec 2020, NRC finally launched its Automated Fare Collection (AFC) System, for the Abuja-Kaduna Line. The contract (I’ve talked about this in a previous thread) covers among other things Speedstiles, Validators and Ticket Vending machines at all the Stations. Rollout ongoing.
Fulani man born in Abeokuta 47 years ago (to a father who moved there 80 years ago);speaks more fluent Yoruba than a lot of Yoruba people I know. These migration stories are far more common than we acknowledge; these are the narratives & reality we don’t highlight enough. #Thread
Nnamdi Azikiwe was born in Zungeru, in today’s Niger State. As was Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, 29 years after Zik. Bola Ige’s memoir is titled Kaduna Boy for a reason. Their parents traveled far from ‘home’, in search of better lives, or simply pursuing business interests.
No, this is not a call to gloss over the very real ethnic and religious differences that exist, and the justifiable grievances that many hold, either inherited, or from personal experience. But those are not the only narratives that exist, or that should be actively promoted.
PMB has cancelled the Secure Anchorage Area (SAA) contract. An arrangement established by the previous Administration, in which vessels berthing in Nigeria paid money to a private company for security inside a ‘Secure Anchorage Area’ within Nigerian Ports. thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021…
“Just between January and July (2020), OMSL received $17 million in revenue for securing vessels and none of those revenues went to the coffers of the federal government.” — @hadizabalausman
There’s a recurring misunderstanding/misinterpretation of public procurement numbers/costs, that does no one any good. If there’s going to be a debate let it at least be based on facts/reality not conjecture, not knee-jerk responses.
A few days ago I complained about a bad piece by @GuardianNigeria, in which they were busied themselves dividing distance by cost and then proceeding to make wild comparisons between rail projects. While also getting cost wrong in some cases.
The nuances of procurement, whether public or private sector, can hardly be accurately conveyed in your typical news headline, especially when headlines are driven mostly by virality ambitions. Always good to try and understand full picture before jumping to conclusions.