NIGERIA: The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari has approved the Federal Ministries of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Health, Education, Science and Technology to work with the nation’s and foreign pharmaceutical agencies and research institutions to enhance Nigeria’s local pharmaceutical volume.
Buhari made the disclosure in Abuja during Independence Day broadcast to mark Nigeria at 61.
He said that this had become imperative because of the shortage of vaccines worldwide.
“We have to act as soon as possible to intensify the reallocation of COVID-19 vaccines. This was my message at the international community in New York last week”, Buhari said.
Investment
Buhari also said that the Nigeria major Investment Authority was raising a $200 million fund for the establishment.
Buhari said that this will stand as a support to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s current N85 billion Healthcare Sector Research and Development investment programme.
This is to arm researchers in the development of vaccines and drugs to fight communicable and noncommunicable diseases, as well as the Coronavirus.
Read Also: COVID-19: Nigerian Government Suspends Passport of 2,000 Defaulters
Despite the global injustice in getting vaccines, the government of Nigeria had strived harder to reveal desired options to ensure that Nigerians had free means of effective and standard vaccines.
“We will continue to source for more options to buy vaccines such as through COVAX and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust”, Buhari noted.
Vaccine Circulation
Nigeria and other nations have suffered as a result whereby vaccine producing countries are keeping global vaccine circulation within themselves.
The main objective of 2020 was to survive stabilising our economy following the deep recession while restoring peace in areas encountered with security issues.
However, COVID-19 outbreak has had negative impact on all nations as such there is a need to shift gears and rearrange.
Buhari was happy that the fatal instances suspect for our country never occur as the Delta variant continues to affect.
“Government has built the capacity needed to respond now and in the future,” Buhari said.
Buhari, however, solicited Nigerians not to take COVID-19 lightly as he advised them to adhere strictly to public health and social measures required to curtailed the virus.
“Wearing a facemask and getting vaccinated will help in controlling the pandemic but it requires effort on everybody’s part.
“The initiation made in aspect to COVID-19 will help our country to tackle any further and future disease occurrence ,’’ Buhari added
Nigeria marks 1st October as its independence day, having been colonized previously by Britain which granted independence to the West African country on October 1st 1960.
Comments are closed.