A professor of virology, Oyewole Tomori, has explained how Nigeria got selected to receive technology for vaccine production.
Tomori said the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the federal government played a role in getting the technology.
Speaking on Saturday during a programme on Arise TV, he described Nigeria’s selection to receive mRNA technology for vaccine production as a catalyst to enhance research.
The World Organisation (WHO) had on Friday announced that six African countries — Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia — would receive the technology to produce mRNA vaccines.
Explaining the process towards Nigeria’s selection, Tomori said: “This is the best news so far for us in this country but one message I want to pass out is that when a country speaks with one voice, such a country will go far.
“This whole thing that came about was done by different groups of people.
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“It was NAFDAC that alerted Bio Vaccine, while bio vaccine filled the form and conducted the interview and the government played the diplomatic role.
“All those combined made it possible.
“This development is a catalyst to move us forward in the area of skills training, financing, regulatory authorities and technology transfer to get us to where we need to be.
“I’m more excited about this because we have done well this time.”
