COVID-19 vaccine: FG's planned $400bn allocation may be a waste, says Shehu Sani

- Shehu Sani does not believe the federal government's planned $400 billion fund for the COVID-19 vaccine will make any headway

- In fact, Sani believes the whole effort will become a waste eventually

- The former senator opined that Nigeria does not have the regular power supply to preserve the vaccine

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Shehu Sani, a former senator who represented Kaduna Central has proven himself again to be a dyed-in-the-wool critic of the federal government.

Sani recently gave a closer look into the government's planned $400 billion allocation for the COVID-19 vaccine and discovered faults in it.

According to the former federal lawmaker, the entire proposal may end up another waste of public funds because of the conditions required for the preservation of the vaccine.

Delivering a speech at the launch of National Ear Care Centre (NECC) magazine in Kaduna on Wednesday, December 30, Sani disclosed that the vaccine needs to be kept in a temperature of -70degree census (-70°C), which he believes is an impossibility in Nigeria.

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He said:

"ln layman's knowledge of temperature, if you put it in the fridge, that's all. What's the temperature of the normal fridge? By the time you move the vaccine from Lagos to Katsina, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Yola, among others, for how many days, and which electricity are you going to use to keep the vaccine for the temperature of -70 degree in Nigeria.

"What's the essence of importing vaccine you have no temperature to install? Except everybody will line up in the airport and take the shot immediately it lands and go back. But if it has to go to Gombe and Yola, for how many days will it pass through the bureaucracy?

"Sometimes you have to put in place all these considerations before you do something if not, you'll be vaccinating people with water."

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Meanwhile, the director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said Nigeria did not have enough capacity for the production of COVID-19 vaccines.

Ihekweazu made this known on Monday, September 28, during a television programme in Abuja.

The NCDC boss expressed optimism that the country will not lack access to vaccines when they are available.

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