Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, has called on the Federal Government to be cautious in its planned purchase and importation of Covid-19 vaccines into the country.
Ayade who said there was nothing wrong to respond to the global disease by the Nigerian government, explained that the efficacy and the use of the vaccine under the present weather and storage facilities in the country are sources of concern that can be dangerous to human consumption if not looked into.
The Governor who is a professor of Microbiology also wants the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), subject the various vaccines to tests in ensuring that they meet the required standards.
He wants the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 to engage various stakeholders, including the best professors of virology in the country to look at the condition of Nigeria’s environment vis-a-vis other scientific considerations and requirements before going on with the purchase of the vaccines.
While calling for the establishment of vaccine production plants in each of the Nigerian six geo-political zones, Ayade explained that doing this will not only solve the problems of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country but also provide employment opportunities and reduce poverty.
There has been an increase in the number of index cases of second waves of covid-19 across the country, a development that caused concerns of all, including the Federal Government, but Governor Ayade said the Presidential Task Force should be cautious on which of the vaccines it is buying to curb Coronavirus in Nigeria.