Prioritize Economy Recovery Not COVID-19 Vaccine, Gov. Bello Tells FG

By Seun Adeuyi

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has urged the Federal Government to prioritize economic recovery and not the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Punch had reported that Nigeria may spend about $1.4bn (N540.4bn, at the official exchange rate of $1: N386) to procure and distribute 218,400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

But, while featuring on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily programme, on Wednesday Morning, the Kogi State governor described as misplacement of priority, the move to “expend N540bn in the purchase of vaccines”.

His words, “All these brouhaha coming up about Covid-19 and vaccines, I don’t think we deserve it now. We have a struggling economy that Mr President inherited, recession, low income, left, right, and centre and Mr President is doing his best to pull out of the woods.

“Those of us charged with the responsibility of advising Mr President should do that with utmost fear of God Almighty.”

Speaking further, he criticised the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 for importing foreign measures to manage the pandemic in the country.

“You can’t do cut and paste on issues like this. From CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) analysis sometimes back, N3.5trn expended so far on Covid-related matters. We don’t need to have gone through that route.

“How did we spend that money? That is unprecedented. We should ask questions on national issues that concern our lives,” Bello added.