FG groans as Madagascar sends bill for Covid Organics

Madagascar isn’t out to save the world with its Covid Organics tonic as its president made the world understand days ago—with a geo-political statement that Europe and the West should acknowledge a tiny African country has what it takes to wrest mankind off covid-19 deathly grip.

Apparently, the Malagasy authorities want to make a roaring trade of the coconut virgin oil the country claims can cure and prevent the viral infection that has killed over 300,000 of the 4.5 million people affected globally.

Madagascar just sent a bill to Nigeria, and others like Tanzania,Congo, Tanzania, Gambia, among others which got consignment of the herb. The freight was routed through Guinea Bissau, and was delivered by President Umaro Sissoco Embalo at Aso Rock on May 17.

“Madagascar has asked Nigeria to pay over €170,000 (N78, 200,000). We have received the invoice because the African country has made us to realise that the drugs are not being given out free,” The Nation quoted an Aso Rock source.

“We are being asked to pay for the drugs yet to be validated. Since the AU directed the supply of the drugs to African countries, we may have no choice than to pay for it.

“This payment may, however, be one-off because mass importation of the drugs from Madagascar will not be cost effective. By the time we take into account the cost of freight, the amount will be too high.”

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has asked NAFDAC and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development to also double down on efforts they are making to find local solutions.

Many researchers,NAFDAC ‘s boss Prof Mojisola Adeyeye said, have responded to its call for expression of interest for the COVID-19 related medicines.

For Covid Organics, neither the PTF nor the two agencies to validate the tonic has have received samples of the imported medicine as of May 17 when the PTF gave its daily press briefing in Abuja.