Nigeria queuing to have COVID-19 vaccine certificate accepted by UK

The Federal Government says it is working with the government of the United Kingdom to recognise the COVID-19 vaccine certificates obtained in Nigeria.

The UK this week released a list of 50 countries whose vaccination certificates are accepted, but Nigeria was missing from the list.

This decision means fully-vaccinated travellers from Nigeria are still required to pay for COVID-19 tests and quarantine for 10 days when they travel to the UK.

In his reaction to the list, the CEO of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, said Nigeria's application is still being assessed.

He noted that no other African country made the list, because the assessment process is being done in phases.

He said, "The UK Government is yet to comprehensively review Nigeria's vaccination certification program.

"From my communication with the UK Government officials, the vaccines administered in Nigeria are approved by the UK Government.

"They are also involved with the vaccination program in Nigeria through the Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) and they are optimistic that by the time Nigeria's COVID-19 vaccination program certification is assessed, it will be approved.

"There are many Countries in the World, so we like many other Countries are in the queue for this assessment.

"Once it gets to our turn, we are more likely than not to get approved in the coming weeks."

Shuaib also noted that Nigeria similarly requires travellers from the UK to isolate for seven days upon arrival, but he did not elaborate on if this also applies to fully-vaccinated travellers.

Over five million people have received at least one dose of the AstraZeneca or Moderna vaccines in Nigeria, with over two million of them fully vaccinated with two doses.