President Muhammadu Buhari has called for fairer and more equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the globe to fight the spread of the pandemic.
This is as he said that Nigeria and other developing countries cannot afford another lockdown.
Buhari made the call on Friday in New York during his address at the 76th Session of United Nations General Assembly.
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“No country can afford another lockdown,” he declared.
The president outlined steps Nigeria has taken to achieve “moderate success” in containing the virus and halt its deadly onslaught in the country.
Buhari also expressed;
Nigeria remains grateful for the assistance received from our partners and friends all over the world. Vaccination is the key to our safe emergence from the pandemic.vWe fully support the COVAX initiative from which we have benefitted. We also thank the United States of America, Turkey, India, China, European Union, and others for the vaccines provided.
He stressed;
Despite the acknowledgement however, I would like to reiterate my call for a fairer and more equitable distribution of vaccines to all countries so that, together, we can fight and contain the pandemic.
The rising wave of newer and more contagious strains, makes this even more urgent. No country can afford the socio-economic implications of prolonged shutdown. It is imperative to underscore that no one is safe until everyone is safe.
Buhari then expressed concern over the spread of small arms and light weapons which he said were being used to perpetrate crime and other illicit activities across the country.
He called for the adoption of the arms trade treaty to codify accountability and regulate arms trade in Africa and across the globe.
He said;
Nigeria is concerned about the spread of small arms and light weapons. This is why my delegation calls for the prioritization of the arms trade treaty to codify accountability to curb arms trade to provide security. Security remains the core discourse in Nigeria. We would continue to work hard to curb the activities of Boko Haram especially in the Northeast.
