Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra, says Nigeria doesn’t
need more than N150 billion to procure COVID-19 vaccines.
Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, said in December 2020
that the federal government needs about N400 billion for COVID-19 vaccines.
According to Ehanire, N400 billion would be required to
vaccinate 70 percent of Nigeria’s over 200 million population, at $8 per
person.
Commenting on the issue when he featured on ARISE Television
on Tuesday, Obi said there are issues of transparency regarding the procurement
of vaccines.
The ex-governor said Nigeria would not have needed to spend
so much in procuring vaccines if its National Vaccine Production Facility was
operational.
“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 N400bn. Well, I am at
loss. Our budget this year for health is N547bn. I don’t know if they are going
to take this vaccine procurement from it, because if they do, we are left with
N147bn.
“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 $1bn. If you divide $1bn 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 N150bn to buy it.
“If they have a N400bn budget to buy the vaccine, my
suggestion, they don’t 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 won’t cost more
than $2 each.”
On Monday, Enahire said the federal government is expecting
15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in February.
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