Bankers Committee Boosts Nigeria’s COVID-19 Response, With N4trn To Pharm Coys

BY CAMI EZENWA

We broke yesterday, inspiring story of the National Agency of Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) towards producing clinical drugs for the containment of COVID-19 pandemic.

Additional boost is coming the way of Nigeria in her efforts to respond adequately to the problem, this time from the Bankers’ Committee.

The Committee is an exclusive forum for the chief executives of commercial banks in Nigerian and the directors of the different departments of the CBN, and is chaired by the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

The Bankers Committee has issued a communiqué pledging to provide grant funding facilities in Naira and foreign exchange to pharmaceutical companies to enable them procure raw materials and equipment to boost local drug production in the country.

In all it would be committing about N3.5 trillion as earlier indicated by the CBN, and  beneficiary companies as listed by the CBN Governor,  Mr Godwin Emefiele include May and Baker, Emzor, Fidson, GSK, Unique Pharma, Swiss Pharma, Neimeth, Sagar, Orange Drugs and Dana Pharma.

He reiterated the serious nature of COVID-19, especially in terms of the human losses as well as the urgency to restore hope, as part reason the committee was responding promptly.

Emefiele added that many drug-manufacturing countries planned or had already banned the export of drugs and medical supplies from their respective countries, thereby leaving Nigeria no choice but to produce the drugs locally.

Recall also, recent reiterations by Minister for Health Dr Emmanuel Osagie Ehanire thus:  “The Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Health has been strengthening measures to ensure that the outbreak in Nigeria is controlled and contained quickly.

“The Multi-sectoral Coronavirus Preparedness Group led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has immediately activated its national Emergency Operations Centre and will work closely with Lagos State Health authorities to respond to this case and implement firm control measures.”

A World Health Organisation (WHO) officer in charge in Nigeria, Dr Clement Lugala Peter had at the time also stated that “WHO has deployed surge staff and provided medical and laboratory supplies to the Government of Nigeria and is fully committed to supporting the country in responding and containing the spread of the disease.”

It is hoped that when all of these are harnessed, Nigeria would have contained the pandemic reasonably.