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Reactions trail Peter Obi’s offer to buy COVID-19 vaccine at reduced rate

Pascal Oparada

Nigerians are divided over the offer of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi to help the Nigerian government get vaccine for COVID-19 at a much cheaper rate than what the government has proposed.

The Nigerian government had earmarked N400 billion for the procurement of the vaccine. But the former governor said the amount is a waste of the country’s resources because he can help get the vaccine at a much cheaper rate and save money in the process.

While many said the proposed amount is a ploy by some government officials to loot the country, others said Obi’s offer does not add up.

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, said Obi has continued to remain relevant because of his sound economic policy.

“Peter Obi constantly getting those media rounds in. We dey watch…” Obi-Uchendu said.

Many Nigerians asked Buhari’s government to give Obi the opportunity to save the country money.

Some called Obi a storyteller and a liar and others said he has container knowledge, meaning a trader’s knowledge.

“Mr. Peter Obi is just a storyteller on television show. He tells a lot of liars (sic) with wrong statistics figures. The guy is just a container Economist. @Aiyoosade said on Twitter.

The ex-governor had 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 are far in excess of what we need.

“World Health Organisation said if you can inject 70 per cent of your population, that’s it. 70 per cent 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 a discount. If they want I can go for the negotiation. It won’t cost more than $2 each.”

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