Covid-19: NASS To Get Supplementary Budget For Vaccination Fund In March-FG

The Federal Government said it is planning to send a supplementary budget to the National Assembly by March to help it fund the costs of vaccination across the country.

The Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, made the disclosure on Thursday.

Ahmed who spoke during the State House briefing held at the Presidential Villa said there may be up to two supplementary budgets for the 2021 budget.

The Finance Minister 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.”

The Finance Minister revealed that Nigeria is expecting vaccine delivery by next week, but the constraint would be the funding for the vaccination.

She disclosed that the ministry had already commenced disbursement of money to carry out the first batch of the Covid-19 vaccination.

Ahmed explained that, “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.”