Nigerian state governors want the Federal Government to expedite actions on local production of COVID-19 vaccine instead of relying on foreign pharmaceutical firms.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, (NGF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi, disclosed this yesterday after a meeting he had with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The governors are also not comfortable with the lack of clarity on when the vaccines will arrive in Nigeria, and told President Muhammadu Buhari to accelerate the delivery.
Nigeria is expecting the delivery of 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX, the global initiative by the World Health Organisation, (WHO), aimed at ensuring rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for its 190 participating countries.
All COVAX’s 190 participating and eligible economies will be able to access doses to protect vulnerable groups in the first half of 2021, contingent upon regulatory approvals and countries’ readiness for delivery.
Fayemi, who is the governor of Ekiti State, said he seized the opportunity of the meeting with the President to review a number of issues that are of interest to him and his fellow state governors and listed the issues to include security, economy, vaccines management and the general outlook for 2021.
The governor said they discussed the need to include religious leaders and celebrities among those that will be vaccinated in public to boost people’s confidence.
He said it is the view of the State governors that the nation needs to ramp up manufacturing of vaccines locally.
