President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated plans to address the shortage of vaccines in Nigeria by investing in research for the production of vaccines in Nigeria.
He conveyed his resolution in his Independence Day message this morning, where he enumerated his administration’s achievements and others.
He said, “As we push to source vaccines for our immediate needs, we shall invest more to support our pharmaceutical and research agencies to come up with ideas for locally developed vaccines.”
The president recalled that prior to the emergence of the coronavirus in 2020, the federal government had made arrangements to stabilise the country’s economy and restore peace in areas confronted with security challenges.
“But the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact on all nations meant we needed to shift gears and re-strategise,” he recalled.
Speaking on efforts to provide vaccines for Nigerians, he said, “Despite the global inequity in access to vaccines, the Government of Nigeria has continued to explore all available options to ensure Nigerians have free access to safe and effective vaccines.
“Some five million vaccine doses have been administered to Nigerians through efforts led by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and we will continue to explore options for purchase or acquisition of vaccines such as through COVAX and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust.”
The president used the platform to continue his advocacy for equitable distribution of vaccines in the global community.
“I will take this opportunity to remind the global community that the current state of access to COVID-19 vaccines is unacceptable. We cannot afford a situation where a handful of countries keep the global vaccine supply to themselves at the expense of other nations.”
