The Vice-President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has disclosed that Nigeria’s top priority is to secure a COVID-19 vaccine.
This was contained in a statement issued by Osinbajo’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande.
Osinbajo made this known at the virtual Paris Peace Forum, with the statement titled, ‘Getting COVID-19 vaccine a matter of utmost concern’.
The VP was quoted as saying, “The priorities of Nigeria in the post COVID-19 era include improved healthcare and the economy.
“First, we need to keep the virus under control. While our guards are still firmly in place, getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a matter of utmost concern.
“On this, we are encouraged by the efforts of WHO and other international agencies working to ensure that vaccine delivery will be equitable across all countries, regardless of the priority of orders and ability to pay.”
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He also called on private institutions to invest in the country’s health sector for an “upscale” of the sector; he said, “we are encouraging private investment to upscale our health sector, with emphasis on improved facilities and affordable universal healthcare.”
He added, “the sheer scale of disruptions to our lives and livelihoods caused by COVID-19 certainly caught us all by surprise.
“the pandemic underscores the need for adequate financial buffers to cope with the ‘black swan’ events. For many developing countries, the debt burden makes this all but impossible.
“We call for debt relief for these countries, and the extension of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) at least until the end of 2021 as well as commercial debt relief where needed.”
