The federal government has denied allegations that it abandoned efforts by Nigerian researchers and scientists to come out with a homegrown solution to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, in favour of a foreign cure.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 Pandemic, Mr Boss Mustapha, who made clarifications on the circumstances surrounding the offering of the Madagascar solution to Nigeria, said the task force had been making efforts to encourage local solution.
Reacting to some claims in the Media that the government, through the PTF, had opted for the Madagascar solution, Mustapha said there was no such thing, adding that Nigeria did not request for the Madagascar solution, but that it was actually a general gesture of ‘brotherly love’ from Madagascar government to all countries of Africa.
While he explained that the consignment meant for Nigeria was yet to be received from Guinea Bissau, as there had been done difficulty with making international freights in the present situation, he noted that all West African countries were expected to reach out to Guinea Bissau to collect their apportioned consignment.
“Nigeria did not asked for the Madagascar solution, the Madagascar government decided to airlift quantities meant for African countries. That of West Africa was taken to Guinea Bissau so all the members of ECOWAS have their commodities offloaded in Guinea Bissau and that was the one I referred to that we were making arrangements to evacuate.
“But the impression out there is as if we abandoned homegrown solution and we were looking for Madagascar solution. We didn’t ask for it, but it was taken in the spirit of African brotherly love to Guinea Bissau and we’ve asked our ambassador there to establish the location, the quantity and he has done that.
“We have to make arrangements for its freighting out of Guinea Bissau, but there are no flights. So there so many things we have to consider. If we are freighting it through air cargo, that has its process. So can you please help us explain it to Nigerians that Nigeria did not ask for it. It was brought for West African countries, similarly for other parts of Africa.
“The consignment meant for West Africa was dropped in Guinea Bissau and every ECOWAS member nation has been asked to go to Guinea Bissau and pick. It’s not our priority now, it’s not our focus, there are other things that we are dealing with to make sure that we contain the spread in our nation”, he explained.
Reacting to allegations that efforts to develop a Nigerian solution had not been encouraged by by government, Mustapha said all necessary directives had, on a daily basis, been passed out from the PTF to all Nigerian researchers and scientists on how to go about helping out, start first with the call for them to come out.
“We’ll do that, but that does not in any way downplay what we’ve asked our researchers and scientists to do. In the last one or more week, I have consistently made this appeal, and for those that are in the field of development in medicine and different inventions, they know the protocol. I can tell you that I get letters on a daily basis, telling me that ‘I have this invention’.
“That is not the protocol, the protocol is to submit these things to the appropriate organisation that has the responsibility, that is established by government through an Act of Parliament, for it to go through the processes of validation. It is not the responsibility of the task force to validate these things.
“So my appeal to out scientists and our researchers; don’t bother sending them to the task force, send them to the institutions that have been set up by government to do their job and we know the institutions. NAFDAC is there, it’s a body recognised and acknowledged all over the world. Not only for homegrown cures, anything you want to bring into this country; be it food or drugs, you must subject it to the validation process of NAFDAC and that’s why all items carry NAFDAC number”, the SGF instructed.
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