COVID-19: CACOVID to buy vaccines through FG, plans on distribution

From Aidoghie Paulinus, Okwe Obi, Abuja and Lukman Olabiyi

private sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) has clarified that only the Federal Government, through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) can obtain any COVID-19 vaccine for Nigeria in the ongoing fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The coalition also explained that the process of procuring vaccines, through the Federal Government, has commenced and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as an official regulatory body, has to approve and certify it before use by Nigerians.
These clarifications were made by the administrator of CACOVID, Zouera Youssoufou, while speaking in Lagos during the Global Business Report programme on ARISE TV News.
The clarification was made in reference to media reports that BUA (a member of CACOVID) had purchased a million doses of COVID-19 (AstraZeneca) vaccines through Afreximbank for Nigerians.
Responding to questions on how the CACOVID Collegiate Fund Works, Youssoufou, said: “The way this works is that we, as a group, agree on what to actually purchase, on how to purchase it and what the modalities of the purchase would be. This is how the group has been working since we were created in March 2020. As you know, we have several things, including testing, test kits and getting isolation centres, PPEs, palliatives, communications among many others.
“So the purchase of the vaccines is very similar to the purchase of the testing supplies, meaning that we do this through very validated and subsidised means. Right now, there are three mechanisms that Nigeria is participating in. One called COVAX, one called the African Union Vaccine Acquisition Task Force which is funded by Afreximbank, and the third one is the World Bank, which is also funding some of these vaccines.
“Nigeria is a member of all these organisations. We, as the CACOVID, the private sector coalition against COVID, our role is to support our government in what is needed to help our people in the context of this COVID-19. So, I think the important thing that we all need to know is that there are several steps to procuring vaccines. The first thing is that, it is only government that can actually buy vaccines, so we, as a private sector group, as individual companies, cannot buy vaccines, we cannot call AstraZeneca or Pfizer or Moderna to order vaccines from them. That is the first thing.
“The second thing is that the distribution of the vaccines and how they would be shared in our country has to be done by NPHCDA which is the only agency in our country mandated to handle vaccines and so far, as you know people, children are being vaccinated everyday BCG, Polio. So, the whole process is being managed by NPHCDA and they are going to be the ones managing this process too. It is not a matter of sending money to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), that is one step. But the real step is how do we get the vaccines into Nigeria and how do we distribute them to the people.
“I think the most over-looked element in this discussion on that aspect about getting vaccines next week, is that AstraZeneca or any vaccine has yet to be approved by NAFDAC, which is our regulatory agency. Without NAFDAC approval, there is no vaccine that can come into Nigeria and be distributed to Nigerians or shot into the arms of Nigerians. And I think this is where some of the misinformation had come in.”
On the statement from BUA that the CBN put out a call to the CACOVID members on a small window through which to procure these vaccines, where someone had to step in and they (BUA) came in and put up the money, Youssoufou said: “First thing, I was on a call with the Afreximbank President on February 7 with Aliko Dangote, Herbert Wigwe and Godwin Emefiele, and in that call, President Oranmah (Benedict) was explaining to us their model and how this task force was working with the AU and how they have set up a $2 billion facility to help fund the vaccines for Nigeria and for African countries, and that the allocation of 42 million vaccines had been made for Nigeria.
“He also told us about an extra one million doses that we can get if we can confirm that we wanted those doses immediately by the next day February 8. And so, CACOVID leaders agreed that yes, this was a good thing and would bring it to the meeting the very next day, which happened. So, we had the meeting, yesterday, (February 8) and that discussion actually happened. What is really important to know is that Afreximbank, after that call, already secured those doses for Nigeria because they had the confirmation from Emefiele, Dangote, and Wigwe that they would pay for these one million doses.
“Now, the doses don’t come in; it’s not as if we get a million doses of vaccines one day getting dumped into Nigeria; they get delivered at a specific pace. So, we might get a 100,000 immediately, 150,000 the next week, and then let’s say another 100,000. We will never get a million doses in one single day coming into Nigeria at once. And in order for that to happen, we have to work very closely with both the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency which I just explained are the ones who would be managing this process of getting the vaccine into people’s arms, but also sorting out the logistics.
“Vaccines have to be stored at a certain temperature; when they land from the plane, they come out of a cooler, they have to be transferred to another freezer. Then, we have to get those vaccines across the country. We also have to follow a very logical logistics chain of how we are going to get the vaccines from point A to point B, what centres are we going to get them, who are the people to be vaccinated, who are health workers to do the vaccinations.
“This is the work that the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency does.
“Faisal Shuaib (executive director, NPHCDA) has to be part of this conversation for us to have any legitimacy in bringing vaccines back into Nigeria. So, that is the way it happened.
“But in terms of the vaccine being secured, the vaccines are already secured because President Oranmah said: ‘I’ll hold these for you, for Nigeria’. Now we need to get AstraZeneca approved in Nigeria and that’s not for us to do but for NAFDAC to do and then the payment that would go from CACOVID to Afreximbank on behalf of Nigeria for these vaccines would then happen.
“Nobody is disputing a transfer into CBN account; nobody is saying that did not happen, that is not where the challenge is. The challenge is the claim that one company has brought vaccines into Nigeria because that is not factual,” Youssoufou said.
However, management of BUA has accused CACOVID of playing politics with the purchase of vaccine following the coalition’s recent remark alleging that the former lacked the authorisation to singlehandedly procure it as all procurement would be done through the Federal Government.
BUA Head, Corporate Communication O’tega Ogra, in a statement, yesterday, faulted CACOVID and explained that its willingness to facilitate the purchase of the vaccine was done in faith and to ensure the country does not miss the opportunity.
Ogra called on the leadership of CACOVID to jettison unnecessary hatred, pettiness, but to join hands in salvaging the country from the scourge.
“BUA receives with utter shock, reports allegedly attributed to CACOVID, disowning its earlier payment through CACOVID for one million AstraZeneca doses for Nigeria via the AFREXIM vaccine platform.
“At the CACOVID steering committee meeting today, February 8, 2021 (of which BUA is a member), members were informed by the CBN governor that CACOVID had been given the opportunity through the Afrexim platform to access and pay for one million doses, provided payment was made today or tomorrow, failure which the opportunity to get those doses next week may be lost.
“After extensive deliberations, there was no agreement reached and despite members being offered the opportunity to donate funds towards procuring the doses, none offered.
“BUA then took it upon itself to offer to pay for the one million doses at the agreed rate of US$3.45 per dose totalling US$3.45 million which translates to N1.311 billion.
“BUA chairman also requested through the CBN governor that the Naira equivalent be paid to the relevant account with CBN, and that CBN should forward the dollar payment to Afrexim on CACOVID’s behalf.
“This payment was made immediately after the meeting and BUA transferred the money to the CBN (see payment confirmation attached) in order to meet the deadline.
“However, with this development by the CACOVID operations committee, we now have just cause to believe some members of CACOVID were not happy that BUA took this initiative in the interest of Nigeria and to ensure the deadline was met to receive the one million doses of the vaccine next week.
“BUA did this gesture in good faith as it has done with its interventions through out the pandemic.
“We will however like to state clearly that we are aware that a prominent member of CACOVID is not happy that BUA took the initiative to pay for the vaccines–fulfilling our pledge just as we said during the meeting.
“Now, they want to scuttle it by this action because they were unable to take the initiative.
“We find this release by CACOVID to be very petty and unbecoming of seemingly serious corporate citizens because it is tantamount to playing politics with the lives of Nigerians. This is no time for politics.
“It is time for us to come together to help Nigerians and it does not matter who is helping or paying.”
Efforts to get government’s reaction yesterday proved abortive as no member of the Boss Mustapha-led Presidential Taskforce on CORVID-19 was willing to speak on the vaccine cold war.
Nigeria to receive 16m free doses from UK
The UK has said the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) had announced that Nigeria would be one of the first countries to receive 16 million free doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility.
The British High Commission Office in a statement said the free doses would be received in the first half of this year.
It said that Gavi had shared the first forecasts of countries who would receive COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX’s Advance Market Commitment (AMC).
According to the Commission, COVAX has allocated over 330 million doses for low and lower middle-income countries, including Nigeria.

Community transmission hits 90.4% in Edo
Edo Government has expressed worry over the progressive increase in the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the second wave of the pandemic, as the state recorded 54 new cases and one more death from the virus.
The state COVID-19 Incident Manager, Andrew Obi, disclosed this during a virtual meeting of the state COVID-19 task force, chaired by Governor Godwin Obaseki, yesterday.
Obi, who urged residents to be cautious and observe all precautionary and safety measures against the spread of the virus, said the risk of spread in the state is higher as community transmission has risen to 90.4 percent.
“Edo State has, in the last 24 hours, recorded 54 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death, bringing the total number of deaths in the second wave of the pandemic to 36. We also recorded three new health workers infection with 740 active cases who are currently receiving treatment at various treatment and isolation centres in the state.”
Sanwo-Olu gives succour to 50 needy Lagosians
Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday declared responsibility of the government goes beyond protection of life and property of it citizens but also to provide for the needs of vulnerable among them.
Sanwo-Olu made this statement yesterday while presenting cheques of various sum; ranging from N500,000 to N5 million to 50 needy Lagosians.
The governor made the presentation during a programme tagged: “Sanwo-Olu Listens,” second edition at the state secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

Abia applauds church for leading in fight against pandemic
Abia government has applauded efforts of the Methodist Church in partnering with the government in its effort to protect the people from the rampaging Coronavirus disease and appealed for more support from other churches and similar institutions.
Speaking during a special sensitisation meeting with Presbyters at St James Methodist Church, Umuda Isingwu, Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, applauded the work of Archbishop Chibuzo Okpoko who he described as the leading warrior among clergymen in the state. He said the cleric’s efforts have helped to save thousands of Abia lives through his focused campaign for citizens to take preventive measures as way of combating the spread of the disease.
Okiyi further called on clergy men in the state to emulate Archbishop Okpoko and use the pulpit and other resources available to them to guide their congregations on taking personal responsibility for their protection and that of their family members.

through wearing of face mask, observance of social distancing, regular washing of hands under running water and or use of hand sanitisers. He assured that the state government had no intention of closing churches during the Easter period, but will rather that church leaders take responsibility to ensure that all churches abide by the newly reactivated protocols announced by the government.