The Federal Government is proposing to spend the sum of N396 billion on Covid-19 vaccination between 2021 and 2022.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed disclosed this on Wednesday after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja.
Ahmed explained that the figure may significantly reduce as the Federal Government receives more donations of the vaccines from the private sector.
The minister added that the Ministry of Health is working on the details of the gap that the Federal Government will be required to fill in the vaccination exercise.
In addition, she explained that the figure may significantly reduce as Government receives more donations of the vaccines
Zainab explains that the size of the proposed supplementary budget agreed by the executive and legislative arm is yet to be resolved, because the Ministry of Defence and Health are yet to provide details of the military hardware requirement.
Earlier in February, Ahmed had said a supplementary budget will be needed to cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations, for which no provision was made in the 2021 finance bill adopted in December.
The Federal Government has said it plans to inoculate 40% of Nigeria’s population this year and another 30% in 2022.
Her word reads, “There will be a supplementary budget, the first one will be in March relating to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Ahmed told reporters.
Recall The New Diplomat earlier reported that the National Primary Health Care Agency (NPHCDA) in a statement said over 500,000 Nigerians have received the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
