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NPHCDA Dismisses Rumours of Electromagnetic Ingredients in COVID-19 Vaccines
National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has said that COVID-19 vaccines do not contain electromagnetic ingredients that can cause side effects.
Dr Faisal Shuaib, executive director, NPHCDA, said this at a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja.
The briefing was in reaction to reports on social media that electronic devices recognised people that had received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
The unsubstantiated reports claimed that anyone who received the vaccine would become magnetic and have their DNA altered and die from blood clots.
He said the typical dose was not large enough to contain a magnet, and that a magnet that could fit in a needle would not be powerful enough to attract anything.
“We are witnessing an increasing wave of COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation that should leave any patriotic Nigerian wondering how long mischief-makers want the world to remain in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The creativity with which some people misinform others and spread misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccination calls for more deliberate, decisive, and consistent steps to counter as well as provide correct and accurate information.
“That will help more people to make informed decisions to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Shuaib.
He said it was unfortunate that the right of the public to true and accurate information on matters of collective concern was being threatened by a few others taking advantage of social media to mislead people about their health.
“Let me quickly state here that this breach of public right to true and accurate information about COVID-19 vaccination is a challenge to the media, which should be taken seriously.
“There are no ingredients in the AstraZeneca vaccines or any other COVID-19 vaccines that make people exhibit magnetic properties after being vaccinated for COVID-19.
“Scientifically, the claim does not make sense,” he explained.
The NPHCDA boss said it was evident that Nigeria had made significant progress towards utilising the 4 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine it got from COVAX facility, and that was why its vaccine rollout had been described as the best in Africa.
He said it was necessary for Nigerians to confront the false theorists if they really wanted the country and the world to overcome the pandemic and recover from its adversities.
“At the onset, it was claimed that COVID-19 was introduced to justify developing vaccines that would be used to depopulate Africans. Those who came up with this theory said that anybody who takes the vaccine would die immediately.
“Today, as we all can see, nearly 4 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in Nigeria and we have not recorded any case of death linked to the vaccination.
“On seeing this reality, the rumour mongers changed their narratives to saying that the vaccines used in Europe and America are not the same as the ones used in Africa.
“Again, as evidence has come to show, it is now clear that the COVID-19 vaccines used in Europe, America and elsewhere in the World are the same used in Nigeria and other countries in Africa,” he said.
According to the NPHCDA boss, the conspiracy theorists have gone silent about this claim, and are now saying that anyone who takes the vaccine will die after two years.
“Nigerians are predominantly a country of Muslims and Christians. We know that these religions are clear that no one knows the year of the day they will die. So why would we even pay attention to such spurious claims?
“Let us not forget that this same falsehood of children dying after vaccination was spread about Polio vaccine, but after many years, children who took polio vaccine are still alive and have grown into adulthood and having their own children, as expected.
“There has not been any case of a child’s death that is linked to polio vaccination, and many more children have been born to discount another claim that polio vaccination would lead to infertility,” he stressed.
He said about 2,495,632 people had been vaccinated with the first dose, while 1,370,130 had received the second dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the country.
“Overall, Nigeria has successfully utilised 3.9 million doses, representing 96 per cent of the 4,024,000 doses of the vaccines received in the country.
“Nigeria is poised to achieve 100 per cent utilisation of the doses of vaccine it has received in the next few days. This is to ensure that people are protected against COVID-19, and normalcy is restored,” said Shuaib.
Meanwhile, Dr Walter Kazadi, country representative, World Health Organisation (WHO), said no individual should be victimised for their inability to access vaccines.
Kazadi said Nigeria was amongst the best countries in Africa in terms of the number of persons vaccinated.
Also speaking, Dr Peter Hawkins, a representative of UNICEF in Nigeria, said misinformation during a health crisis left people unprotected and vulnerable to the disease and spread fear and stigmatisation.
According to Hawkins, , information can be lifesaving, but people will only take on information that they trust.
The Senate on Tuesday deplored what it described as violations of the principles of federal character in the appointments, recruitments and promotions in some key federal institutions and agencies.
Specifically, the upper legislative chamber fingered the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Pension Commission (PENCOM), the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and several other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as culprits.
The matter was a subject of debate at plenary as Senator Osita Ngwu called the Senate’s attention to the alleged violations through a motion.
Ngwu’s motion, entitled “Urgent Need to Address Systemic Abuse and Ineffective Implementation of the Federal Character Principle in Nigeria’s Public Sector,” got the attention of the lawmakers.
Ngwu, who led the debate, cited Sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which explicitly prohibit the dominance of individuals from a few states or ethnic groups in federal institutions.
He observed that while recruitment opportunities are limited, promotions are often based solely on years of service rather than merit, leading to the continued marginalisation of certain regions.
According to him, the lack of accountability in enforcing federal character principles has compromised fairness in the public sector, with senior-level recruitments often influenced by cronyism instead of competence.
Ngwu further observed that while the federal capital principle aims to balance merit with equitable state representation, its poor implementation has negatively affected discipline, morale, and institutional efficiency.
According to him, “The federal character principle, entrenched in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, mandates fair representation in federal appointments to reflect the linguistic, ethnic, religious, and geographic diversity of the nation.”
He continued, “Section 14(3) and (4) of the Constitution unequivocally stipulate that ‘no predominance of persons from a few states or a few ethnic or sectional groups’ should exist within the federal government or its agencies.”
Ngwu listed the NNPCL and its subsidiaries, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), PENCOM, NDIC, the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), the National Library of Nigeria (NLN), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) as non comliant entities.
He accused them of consistently failing to adhere to federal character Mandates, and often bypassing regulations in their recruitment exercises.
Ngwu warned that unchecked violations of federal character laws would continue to erode the effectiveness of key legislative provisions.
He listed the affected legislative provions to include Section 14(d) & (e) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017, Part I(1)-(2) of the Subsidiary Legislation 23 of 1997, and Section 11(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
He also raised concerns about the lack of independence of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
Ngwu observed that despite the Commission’s constitutional mandate, it remains weakened by underfunding, political interference, and a lack of enforcement power.
While approving the probe of the affected entities, the Senate directed its Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs to conduct investigative hearings into their activities.
The committee is expected to submit its findings within four weeks.
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four bank employees over their alleged involvement in a sophisticated fraud and money laundering scheme that diverted over £138,924 (more than ₦270 million) from international airline accounts.
CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, command’s spokesperson, disclosed the arrests on Monday during a press briefing at the state police headquarters in Ikeja.
According to CSP Hundeyin, “The suspects conspired to siphon funds from domiciliary accounts into personal accounts before redistributing them to multiple destinations.
“The fraud was uncovered when the affected bank detected unauthorized transactions and alerted the police.”
Explaining further, the spokesperson said: “Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the following suspects: Oluwatobiloba Olaleye, male, aged 27, was arrested on March 12, 2025, in Ogun State. A Toyota Camry 2012/2013, suspected to be a proceed of the crime, was recovered from him.
Oladunjoye Adegoke, male, aged 33, was arrested on March 13, 2025, in Victoria Island, Lagos. A Toyota Camry (Pencil Light), suspected to be another proceed of the stolen funds, was also recovered.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Austin Alfred, male, aged 38, the Supervisor of the Trade Services Department, and Jude Uzobuaku, male, aged 36, a processor in the same department. Both facilitated the illegal transfer of funds to foreign accounts.”
Police investigations revealed that the stolen funds were initially funneled into an account belonging to one of the suspects before being transferred to multiple other accounts, making it harder to trace. Authorities are now working to track down additional accomplices and recover the remaining funds.
“The suspects are in custody and will face prosecution as the investigation continues,” CSP Hundeyin stated.
Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has announced a $15 million grant to support 3,000 budding entrepreneurs from 52 African countries.
Tony Elumelu, founder, TEF, made this known on Sunday in Abuja during the unveiling of the 2025 cohort of the foundation’s Entrepreneurship Programme.
He stated that each beneficiary would receive a $5,000 seed grant to kick-start their businesses.
Elumelu, who is also chairman of Heirs Holdings, Transcorp, and United Bank for Africa (UBA), reaffirmed his commitment to empowering African entrepreneurs and transforming the continent’s economic landscape.
According to Elumelu, the foundation aims to democratise opportunity across the continent, fostering economic growth and providing young Africans with access to funding and mentorship.
“We had a vision that started in 2010; one that envisions a self-sustaining Africa, driven by the energy, vision, and resilience of young entrepreneurs.
“We understand the challenges they face in contributing to Africa’s economic transformation.
“If empowered and encouraged, these young Africans can drive meaningful change,” he said.
He noted that capital alone was not enough, highlighting the importance of business education, mentorship, and training in building successful entrepreneurs.
The entrepreneurship programme, which began in 2015, originally set out to economically empower 10,000 young Africans over 10 years, each receiving $5,000 in seed capital.
“This year marks the 15th anniversary of the foundation, and we have made a considerable impact across all 54 African countries.
“In the 21st century, Africa does not need aid; what it needs is investment in its youth,” Elumelu said.
Somachi Chris-Asoluka, chief executive officer (CEO), TEF, noted that since the programme’s launch in 2015, the foundation had.disbursed over $100 million to more than 21,000 young entrepreneurs across Africa.
According to Chris-Asoluka, these businesses have collectively created 1.5 million enterprises, and generated $4.5 billion in revenue.
“Our entrepreneurs have demonstrated that ideas are the lifeblood of the African continent.
“For the 2025 cohort, we received over 200,000 applications, and from this pool, 3,000 entrepreneurs from 52 African countries will receive $15 million in funding.
“Each entrepreneur will receive a $5,000 non-refundable seed grant; this is neither a loan nor equity,” she stated.
She further assured that the foundation had a monitoring and evaluation platform in place to track progress after disbursement, ensuring that beneficiaries adhered to their approved business plans.
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