Former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, has condemned the plan of the federal government to buy COVID-19 vaccines for N400 billion.
He condemned the move while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.
Bafarawa asked the government to use the planned money to tackle insecurity in the country instead of “wasting” it on vaccines.
The PDP chieftain expressed that only about 2000 people have died from the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria but within a year, over 300,000 persons have lost their lives to insecurity.
Bafarawa noted that the federal government prioritizes the pandemic more than the insecurity ravaging the North and the country at large.
He wondered why the government will propose to spend N400 billion on COVID vaccine when “almost 60 percent of Nigerians do not believe there is COVID-19 and are not even convinced to take the drugs?”
“Look at the amount they are proposing to buy the drugs, almost 60 percent of Nigerians don’t believe in this coronavirus and for the PTF to recommend N400 billion, you have to sensitise the people on the vaccine.
“These vaccines have a lifetime by the nature of our weather, maybe after some time, they will be of no use. Now, these vaccines have been meant for Europe. So, how do you expect to spend N400 billion to bring the drugs when people are not even convinced to take the drugs?
“Supposing people refuse to take the vaccines, the N400 billion becomes a waste. So, we have to sensitise people to agree that this coronavirus is real and the vaccines are real; let them be convinced. Remember what happened with the polio vaccine.
“Why can’t we divert this money for security? I’m saying this because the insecurity is Nigeria’s coronavirus. We don’t have much COVID -19 in Nigeria. It is my advice though that the federal government should pay even more attention to the issue of insecurity in the country and the north in particular, instead of emphasizing and spending huge sum of money on coronavirus.”
