Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi has said Nigeria needs a budget of N150bn and not N400bn for procurement of COVID-19 vaccine.
The former governor claimed the N400bn projected for the vaccine was too much for 70% of Nigeria’s population.
Obi said this while speaking on an Arise Tv on Tuesday even as he advised the government to employ his services to negotiate a cheaper deal of N150bn to help in vaccination of 70% of Nigeria’s population.
“We need to be transparent in vaccine procurement. The World Health Organisation mentioned that if you can inject 70 percent of your population, that is ok.
“70% of Nigeria is about 140 million, so we are looking for 140 million doses. Considering that some other people will give us some for free, we do not need more than 120 million doses.
“But even if we are buying 140 million, Nigeria just needs about three hundred and eighty-something million dollars which are about N150bn to buy the vaccine.
“If they have a N400bn budget to buy the vaccine, my suggestion, they don’t need to award contracts in this vaccine, let them call Serum institute in India and beg them. I am sure they will even give Nigeria a discount. If they want I can go for the negotiation. It won’t cost more than $2 each.”
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 Presidential task force announced that the 100,000 doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech approved COVID-19 vaccines expected in Nigeria will arrive in the country by the early weeks of February.