FG plans supplementary budget for Covid-19 vaccines, vaccination

• Covid-19 vaccines may arrive country next week

THE Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, has said the Federal Government will prepare a supplementary budget  to cater for Covid-19 vaccines and vaccination.

Ahmed, who said the budget would be sent to the National Assembly for approval by the appropriate committee, stressed that the fiscal document would be prepared in March.

She said, “There will be a supplementary budget, the first one will be in March relating the COVID-19 pandemic but we will also have a mid-year review like we did last year of the budget.

“If at the time we do the review and there is a need to go back to do any amendment for supplementary budget, at that time, we will take that decision; if not, we will just report the review,” she said.

Meanwhile, the minister hinted at the fact that the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines would arrive the country next week, contrary to speculations in some quarters that the vaccines may not be secured until the end of March.

Ahmed dropped the hint by saying, “We have a provision in the 2021 budget for immunisation. We are already releasing money to the health authorities to start operation in the first batch of vaccines that is going to arrive the country in one week.

“But what we have in the budget is not enough, so we are working with the health authorities to provide a plan that will be taken to the President for approval and to be taken to the National Assembly as a supplementary budget specifically for COVID -19 vaccination.”

The minister again said the level of Nigeria’s borrowing is not too high contrary to the general belief.Ahmed added that if the government decided not to borrow and therefore do not build rails and major infrastructure until revenue rises enough, the country would regress.

She described borrowing as a decision that every government has to take.

She added, “Our assessment is that we need to borrow to build our major infrastructure.

“We just need to make sure that when we borrow, we are applying the borrowing to specific major infrastructure that will enhance the business environment in this country.“Again, we all have to work, not just the Federal Government but also state governments, to increase our revenue to enhance our debt service obligations.

“We also have to make sure that when we are choosing the projects, we are choosing carefully the ones that will enhance business environment so that more revenue yields come into the treasuries of the country.”