HEALTH | ECONOMY
Where Did 202 Go? ‑ Ibuks
Strains And Shots
‑ TEM
The world is filled with conspiracy theories because the human mind requires intrigue clearly. We're of the belief that 'better safe than sorry' because whether or whethant the conspiracy is true, if you're prepared, it's a win usually.
In this edition, we analyze whether covik‑19 vaccine or 5G is true. The quarter was a little gloomy based on the stories on bullying that led to the untimely death of a minor – May he Rest In Peace.
The cost of bullying is too high whether for human preservation or even economic advancement. If we tell you one more time that the economy is as per normal, knock our heads. Walahi, we too are praying for a different analysis. But as usual, we will tell you not to worry, omo iya, we dey your side.
Nothing new under the sun but we learn new ways to make sunscreen work better.
Love always,
Shola is renovating her school to meet the standards set by the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) This will help her safely reopen. Be Like Shola
Where Did 2021 Go?
‑ Ibuks
Sapa na your mate
It was just like yesterday when we wished ourselves a happy new year and were looking towards a better time. Look at us now, two #VibewiththeTrybe parties later, a Serious video, a very Detty December and a variant year—we made it!
At this point, we salute our heroes; yes, you, the ones who now buy eggs for ₦100, from ₦40 in 2020, the ones who still eat sardine in this economy; not all heroes wear capes. Inflation has been one of the year's biggest talking points. Despite the figures theoretically dropping from 18.7% to 15.99%, prices have not stopped increasing.
If you are asking why the price of garri is still averaging at ₦1,000 per paint, compared to the year 2018 when it sold for ₦400 naira; it means you don't gerrit and if you don't gerrit, forget about it. Scratch that, we'll help you out.
A decrease in the inflation rate simply means that prices are increasing more slowly than they were in the previous month. In essence, the price of garri is still going up, but at a slower rate.
No matter the variant, let's try to get vaccinated and maintain the culture that helped us beat Covid earlier in the year; na who dey alive dey do dorime! We hear that the dorime of the Nigerian government is also on the rise; expenditure has steadily increased while revenue has gone the other way.
The Debt Management Office—yep, it's an actual office—estimates that our debt stands at ₦35trn.
If we assume that the total population of Nigeria is 200 million, each one of us owes at least ₦175,000. Experts say this could double in the next two years unless something drastic happens, which in Naija terms means nothing, so don't worry, this breakfast is for everybody.
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Dorime is not for civil servants!
While we struggled with food prices, GDP has been a star boy; also made in Lagos. While 2020 was a year of recession, we saw growth in the three quarters of 2021 on the rebound of crude oil and opening of the economy — a positive GDP for a sweet economy. At this point, we have to appeal to Omarion, Omakan Omicron to please not affect our japa plans.
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3
On Gaad!
The CBN and Uncle Mef, our distinguished governor, did a lot to maintain FX stability and reserves in 2021. From 2020 when we lost quite a few dollys due to a drop in oil revenue, our ogas at the top have helped us weather the storm by introducing key policies and making drastic decisions.
Despite a major boost to our foreign reserves, it is clear that the FX battle isn't ending anytime soon, but don't worry, we gat you covered. We also now have the eNaira, guys. At least, we're doing better than Ghana outside jollof rice. We now have a digital currency, first among our peers—eNaira to the world!
2021 was a challenging year for abroad people; they didn't exactly have a better time. First, it didn't come home, COVID cases have soared and governments around the world are trying not to have the same level of emergency they had in 2020.
You see, the global scene has also been quite chaotic; from the energy crisis and supply chain disruptions in Europe to Barcelona's relegation to the Europa, the crisis in Afghanistan and the release of the iPhone 13. We even hear that Russia and Ukraine might be starting a war soon; God abeg, the only battle between countries this year should be at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
2022 will be full of activity. We hear that our renowned subsidy will likely be removed, and fuel pump price could go up to ₦320 per liter, wahala be like bicycle because that's the only mode of transportation we'll be able to afford at this rate *tears inna my eyes*.
Prophets and analysts
N320 For us in Nigeria, the year is also the penultimate year to general elections. Expect a lot of campaigns, branded indomie, photo ops with the akara seller and poverty famzing. All the noise we have made on social media, it's time to back it up at the ballot. Get your PVC and let your vote count.
You wanna roll with the big boys
With Omu‑Aran, Omi‑Akran Omicron, several countries have flagged Nigeria as a red state despite our having fewer cases than most developed countries and strict international travel protocols. In response, we too put them on our red list, first to do no dey pain. It threatened to affect Detty December, but God came through. We also fought for Air Peace; our own unicorn in the airspace; don't ask any question about Nigerian Air; its 2022!
2021 was both a short and long year, short enough to fly by so fast and long enough that if we start to talk, e no go finish. 2022 has begun in earnest, and with all the uncertainties of the economy, our recommendation is to watch and pray because e be like say things go still choke. Whether AFCTA comes entirely in 2022 or not, there is a long way to go for intra‑African trade. We expect more disruption coupled with the inherent market crisis and upcoming elections. And Uncle Covid is still out there. Whatever happens, we will always be here and as long as there is rice in Kano and strawberries in Jos, we will be fine.
PRIVATE
VACCINATIONS
AT A HOSPITAL OF YOUR CHOICE
VISIT
sterling.ng/vax
4
Strains And Shots
‑ TEM
I Get Coconut Head
They say, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," but like Speed Darlington, COVID no dey hear that one oh, e wan kill us.
First off, how do top pharmaceutical companies make money off vaccine capitalism? The Big Pharma business model is to collect billions of dollars in government and public support to develop high‑ demand solutions, retain rights as the sole manufacturer and distributor, and decide profit since they solely control pricing.
Every time we think we have won, COVID‑19 shames us with another wave and variant. 268 million cases and ten variants later, we can all agree that we need to be immune to stand a chance against COVID.
Now there are two ways to achieve this; wait for people to develop immunity over time or the other way; the magic potion that humanity has depended on for decades to bring down the death toll of diseases; vaccines. Within a year of the pandemic's emergence, Big‑Pharma‑ owned research teams rose to the challenge and developed vaccines that can now protect us from SARS‑CoV‑2, the virus that causes COVID‑19.
While beneficial to their wealthy investors and corporate executives, this model is one of the reasons for the wild spread of COVID conspiracies and the scarcity of vaccines for low‑income countries. For context, only about 2% of the vaccinated population resides in Africa. While vaccine skepticism does exist on the continent, supply has been diminutive. But what we have then seen is that for every shot administered, someone has profited tremendously.
Pfizer, for example, recorded a revenue of $11.3 billion in the first half of 2021, and we now hear that the CEO is campaigning for booster shots to be administered globally as well.
Where did the vaccines come from? Vaccines are not new; from as early as 900 AD, smallpox inoculation was carried out by the Chinese. To be fair, you were vaccinated at some point in your life (for polio, meningitis, tetanus).
However, since the start of the decade, Big Pharma has been easing out of the vaccine business because it's not as profitable as it used to be. I mean, it is easier to sell drugs than a vaccine that you would only take once in your lifetime.
Moderna, another major producer, is also reporting $6 billion in revenue and has asked that more people be vaccinated in the wake of the Omicron variant. It's like an event planner clamoring for more parties. A report by Peoples Vaccine Alliance estimates that three companies, Pfizer, Moderna and BioNTech, make a combined profit of $65,000 every minute!
Vaccines are also known to carry more risks (nobody wants lawsuits) and are more technical to make. All that was thrown out of the window with the onset of a virus that threatened our very existence. With COVID came a global demand and a dynamic market like no other. In less than a year, over six vaccines have been approved for vaccination. Capitalising through capitalism (Conspiracy Version).
So far, over 8 billion vaccine doses (about 3 billion of the world's population has been fully vaccinated) have been administered globally, and you can imagine the financial reward for solving mankind's biggest problem. How COVOD‑19 Vaccines Changed Pharma Company Profits 12.98
16.14
18.59
8.31 2.14
Johnson & Johnson
Pfizer
8.16
7.30 0.46
AstraZeneca
‑0.50
Moderna
‑0.40
BioNTech
2020
2021
Net income/profit of selected pharma companies for Q1‑Q3 in 2020 and 2021 (billion USD) ‑ statista
6
Permanent Site
Wait a minute, let's think in 5G!
It's business.
If the vaccines aren't 100% effective in all cases, then the biggest winner from vaccine mandates across developed countries has to be the vaccine makers, directly and indirectly. Of course, we can't blame the unequal distribution and profit racking on Big Pharmas alone as we hear that big states did buy up the supply and hoarded doses.
Las las, the ministry is moving to the permanent site. This dynamic among vaccine makers and the government has helped fuel the conspiracy around vaccines and the virus.
Still, the vaccine manufacturers have played a decisive role in limiting global vaccine production and obstructing fair access to a life‑saving health product. For instance, Pfizer and BioNTech have delivered nine times more vaccines to Sweden than all low‑income countries combined. Outside paltry government donations, Moderna is yet to supply a single vaccine dose to low‑income countries. They all have failed to meet with promised deliveries to COVAX—the global organization set up to ensure fair and equitable distribution.
Johnson and Johnson, which has developed a single‑dose vaccine, has refused to grant a production license to Biolyse. The Canadian manufacturer had offered to make 15 million doses for Bolivia, which has only vaccinated about 5% of its population but were met with a sharp "no, bro". Even Novavax, which still seeks approval, has refused to share its knowledge and technology. After promising that two‑thirds of its supply will go to COVAX, once approved.
PRIVATE
VACCINATIONS
AT A HOSPITAL OF YOUR CHOICE
VISIT
sterling.ng/vax
With the new variants, the reinforced vaccine mandates, and the travel ban, it is clear that there is more to this gist, but what's our own, whether it's a conspiracy or not, stay safe this new year, try and get vaccinated and drink water. It is quite easy now sef, just go to https://nphcda.vaccination.gov.ng/ to register.
Thank You! I hope you enjoyed being ‘Serious.’ Wishing you a prosperous New Year!