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Reps ask Nigerian govt to urgently reopen Yaba Vaccine Production Centre

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The Federal Government has been asked to immediately reopen the Yaba Vaccine Production Centre to facilitate the production of vaccines locally.

The House of Representatives made the call at plenary on Tuesday as part of the prayers of a motion moved by Hon. Chile John Okafor.

The vaccine production facility was closed down in 1991.

The lawmakers also asked the Minister of Health and agencies under the Ministry of Health and the Executive Director, May and Baker Nigeria PLC to interface with the relevant committees of the House on possible ways of getting the needed legislative support to fast track the production of vaccines in Nigeria.

While adopting Rep Okafor’s motion titled Urgent Need to Speed Up Local Production of Vaccines in Nigeria, the House said bringing back the lab will save the country several billions of naira spent on the importation of vaccines.

Read also: Allowance for security personnel deployed to enforce COVID-19 lockdown receiving attention —PTF

While moving the motion, Rep Okafor said the Yaba Vaccine Production Laboratory in Lagos was active in vaccine production for about six decades, between 1940 and 1991, producing large quantities of vaccines against smallpox, rabies and yellow fever for not only Nigeria, but also for neighbouring countries like Cameroon, and other African countries

According to him, the Laboratory was closed down by the Federal Government in 1991 in order to upgrade the facility for optimal production but regretted that several years later, the facility was still under lock and key till date without any hope of reopening.

The lawmaker, who stressed the need to produce vaccine locally to address the ravaging COVID-19 Pandemic and other diseases, recalled that in 2017, the Federal Government signed a partnership agreement with May and Baker Nigeria PLC to float a company named Biovaccine Limited for the commencement of local vaccine production in Nigeria.

He however said the company was yet to commence the production of those live saving vaccines.

He further noted that African Countries like South Africa, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Senegal have functional laboratories for production of vaccines for use and export, adding that there was need for Nigeria to speed up the commencement of local Vaccine production for domestic use and export.

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