Assessment of Intention, Acceptance, and Hesitancy of COVID-19 Vaccination in Nigeria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on nations and ravaged the economies of many countries, and Nigeria was not left out.An urgent need was to stem this tide by rolling out effective vaccines.The objectives of the research are to comprehensively assess COVID-19 vaccination intention, acceptance, and hesitancy in Nigeria by reviewing existing literature and conducting a meta-analysis, aiming to identify influencing factors, analyze regional disparities, and provide evidence-based recommendations for enhancing vaccination uptake.Through systematic synthesis and analysis, the research seeks to inform targeted interventions and policy decisions to address vaccine hesitancy and promote widespread COVID-19 immunization across diverse population groups in Nigeria.Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 studies published in Nigeria on COVID-19 vaccine intention, acceptance and hesitancy was conducted in ten databases and Grey literature between 1st January 2020 and 15th March 2022 (PROSPERO CRD42021291092).Findings: We found that the pooled vaccine intention rate was 48.0% (95% CI 40.2 -55.8) with a heterogeneity index of 98.8% (p < 0.01).The pooled vaccine acceptance rate was 47.7% (95% CI 26.3 -69.1) with a heterogeneity index of 98.3% (p < 0.01).Gender, young age, occupation, tribe, and religion were found to be associated with the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.The pooled vaccine hesitancy rate was 44.2% (95% CI 35.6 -52.9) with a heterogeneity index of 98.5% (p < 0.01).Safety concerns, unreliability