The Federal Government on Monday disclosed that about N400 billion will be required for the importation of COVID-19 vaccines into the country, adding that the vaccination will cost $8 per person.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, made this disclosure when he appeared before the Senate leadership with his counterpart in the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.
Ehanire explained that the N400 billion would cater for 70 per cent of Nigeria’s 211 million population, adding that N156 billion would be needed in 2021, while N200 billion will be required in 2022.
The Minister said the country, which has successfully fought polio, would use the same storage facilities (cold chains) to store the COVID-19 vaccines.
He told the lawmakers that the government of Nigeria was in high level talks with multinational manufacturers and had trained staff as well as put the right cooling infrastructure in place to store the vaccines when they are acquired.
But the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, expressed doubt about the capacity of the Federal Ministry of Health to effectively store and distribute the COVID-19 vaccines when they arrive the country.
Lawan expressed lack of confidence in the preparedness of the Federal Government to manage the COVID-19 vaccination in the country.
Lawan said the National Assembly was ready to support the funding of adequate vaccines to save Nigerians, but that the officials of the Ministry of Health must convince the Parliament that they have adequate facilities and manpower to protect the preventive substance.
He said: “I have not been convinced with your presentation that we are ready to bring in the vaccines.
“You have to do much more to convince me that we are ready.
“This is a matter of life and death.
“I am not only a doubting Thomas, I am also doubting Ahmad.”
Lawan insisted that the Health Minister should provide the list and location of all the infrastructure for storage for inspection.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, also joined in expressing doubt in the ability of the health officials to guarantee the safety of the vaccines.
Omo-Agege expressed strong worry that the government so far had made preparations for only four cold chains for the vaccines in Abuja, Kano, Enugu and Lagos, asking why the entire South South region was not included in the plan.
The DSP also expressed worry that the vaccines may lose its efficacy on transit to the South South if no facility was provided in the region.
He charged NAFDAC to ensure that citizens, especially from the zone, do not end up being inoculated with bad vaccines that may do more harm than good.
Other senators also xpressed strong doubts over the presentations of the officials from the Ministry of Health on the facilities that had been put in place to ensure adequate storage protection for the vaccines.