The former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has faulted the plan by the President Muhammadu Buhari Federal Government to spend N400 billion in purchasing Covid-19 vaccines, .
Recall, that the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, had said that the Federal Government needs about N400 billion to buy Covid-19 vaccines to vaccinate 70 percent of Nigeria’s population.
However, in an interview on ARISE TV, on Tuesday afternoon, Obi said that Nigeria would not need to spend so much in procuring the vaccines, noting that, Nigeria only needs about N150 billion to procure the vaccines.
His words: “The issue of vaccine is one that I feel a sense of pain. Nigeria as a country in 1940, established what we called National Vaccine Production Facility domiciled in Yaba, and that was able to produce virtually all the vaccines we used in the days of smallpox, yellow fever, and that facility was shut down in 1991 to be refurbished and upgraded, there was nothing wrong with it,” Obi said.
“And till today that has been the case deliberately so that people can import vaccines and sell to the government.
“Now I hear that we are looking for N400 billion Well, I am at loss. Our budget this year for health is N547 Billion. I don’t know if they are going to take this vaccine procurement from it, because if they do, we are left with N147 Billion.
“For the vaccine procurement also, we need to have transparency in the procurement. Today, vaccine in India costs between $2 25 cents to $3. That is an average of $2.75 and if you say you are going to use N400 billion, that is about $ 1 billion. If you divide $1 billion by $2.75cents each, that is about 350 million doses which is far in excess of what we need.
“World Health Organisation said if you can inject 70 percent of your population, that’s it. 70 percent of Nigeria is about 140 million so we are actually looking for 140 million doses. Considering that some other people are going to give us some free, we actually don’t need more than 120 million. But even if we’re buying 140 million, we just need about three hundred and eighty-something million dollars, which is about N150 billion to buy it.
“If they have a N400 billion budget to buy the vaccine, my suggestion, they do not need to award contracts in this vaccine, let them just call Serum institute in India and plead with them. I am sure they will even give us discount. If they want I can go for the negotiation. It will not cost more than $2 each.”
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