Buhari wants report on local vaccine production next month

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday directed the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, to submit a progress report on the indigenous production of vaccines in the country by May.

He gave the directive while receiving the leadership of the Nigeria Integrated Biopharmaceuticals Industries Consortium (NIBI), led by Mr Vilarugel Cuyas, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Fredlab.

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Buhari asked the minister and his team to work closely with the consortium on the Federal Government’s support required for the actualization of the NIBI project within the next few months.

He said his administration considered food and medicine sufficiency national security issues.

He recounted the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Nigeria’s economy and health systems and how some nations with comparative advantages in being centres of bio-pharmaceutical productions adopted a “me-first” attitude towards securing their citizens.

He said: ‘‘I want Nigeria to make a bold statement in this field not just for reasons mentioned earlier, but because of its knock-on effects on our economy at large.’’

Buhari said as part of the fallout and lessons learned from the crises, under his directive, the Minister of Health had been conducting local and international high-level consultations to seek access to the know-how and finance to revive domestic manufacturing of vaccines.

He said the consultations had become more important as Nigeria prepares to fully transition from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) support for the supply of vaccines by 2028.

He lauded the NIBI consortium made up of European biotechnology companies Merck, Unizima, Rommelag, and Fredlab, who are collaborating with the Nigerian start-up PIA BioPharma to establish a world-class Bio-Pharma Industrial Complex for the manufacture of vaccines and essential therapeutics in Nigeria.