The Federal Government is proposing to spend the sum of N396 billion for the COVID-19 vaccination in 2021 and 2022.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed who disclosed this, explained that the figure may significantly reduce as the Federal Government receives more donations of the vaccines from the private sector.
She stated this on Wednesday after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
She adds that the Ministry of Health is working on details of the gap that the Federal Government will be required to fill in the vaccination exercise.
Ahmed also 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.
The Federal Government has said it plans to inoculate 40% of Nigeria’s population this year and another 30% in 2022.
Ahmed said, “There will be a supplementary budget, the first one will be in March relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
On the N296 billion to be spent on COVID-19 vaccination in 2021 and 2022, the minister said the figure was arrived at after the government dropped the idea of building primary health care centres which would have cost N103billion.
She explained, “Sometime in January, the President, based on the request by the Ministry of Health, gave an approval in principle for the Ministry of Health to work with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to prepare and take to the National Assembly a supplementary budget for COVID-19 vaccination.
“The submission that was made to Mr President at that time was in the sum of N399billion, but included in this N399 billion was a N103 billion for building of primary healthcare centres.
“So, we have worked with and met several times with the ministry and we have agreed to back out from this building of primary health care centres. That can wait till later.
“So, there is still a provision of N296 billion for COVID-19 vaccinations for 2021 and 2022.”