By Asmau Ahmad
The Federal Government said it would set up two committees to work out modalities for the local production of COVID-19 vaccines in the country.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen, after he and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, led a delegation to the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) in Jos, Plateau State, to inspect facilities at the institute.
Ehanire, who expressed satisfaction with the state of the facilities at the NVRI, said given the progress of work done so far at the research institute, Nigeria would soon join the comity of nations producing COVID-19 vaccines.
“The potentialities here (NVRI) clearly show that they have the human resources, infrastructure and the experience for the production of human vaccines and COVID-19 in particular for Nigeria to join the league of nations producing enough vaccines.
“But before you start production, you have to ensure proper coordination. So, we have already decided that we are going to set up a technical working committee made up of experts from the Ministry of Health.
“We shall also be setting up the national steering committee made up of ministers and advisers to oversee what the technical committee is doing. From there, we are going to move in leaps and bounds until we get our own COVID-19 production on track,” he said.
The Director-General, National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control, Professsor Mojisola Adeyeye, also said that Nigeria was ready for COVID-19 production.
Adeyeye, who noted that human vaccines needed a lot of guards and control insisted that “NAFDAC is ready. If NAFDAC is not ready, then Nigeria is not ready. We will collaborate with all the stakeholders to ensure that we produce the vaccine in the country and I believe it is doable with collaboration.”
