Nigeria’s president has asked parliament to approve 895.8 billion naira ($2.18 billion) as an extra-budgetary provision to fund the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines and military equipment, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The government in February said it will draw up a supplementary budget to cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations, for which no provision was made in the 2021 finance bill adopted in December. Nigeria had planned to spend 13.6 trillion naira ($33.10 billion) in 2021, a 21% rise from the previous year.
“The availability of COVID-19 vaccines and the procurement terms were still uncertain at the time of finalizing the 2021 budget,” President Muhammadu Buhari said in his letter.
Buhari said the health ministry and primary healthcare agency has developed a COVID-19 program for the country that intends to vaccinate 70% of eligible Nigerians this year and next.
In addition to procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, Buhari asked for more funds for the military.
“Our security and law enforcement agencies urgently need to procure additional equipment and other resources in response to the prevalent security challenges across the country,” he said.
Nigeria also faces rising insecurity – ranging from mass abductions at schools, kidnappings for ransom, armed conflict between herdsmen and farmers, armed robberies and various insurgencies – that has been a drag on growth and job creation.
