SERAP implores FG to ensure transparency over COVID-19 vaccine distribution

 

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has implored the Federal Government to “ensure equitable access, human rights, transparency and accountability in the distribution” of COVID-19 vaccines.

SERAP made this call on Tuesday, March 2, following the arrival of nearly four million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria courtesy of the COVAX Facility, a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF, and WHO.

In a statement issued, the rights group said details on the delivery and distribution of the vaccine doses must be disclosed and widely published.

The statement partly read, “Following the arrival in Nigeria today of 3.92 million #COVID19 vaccine doses, we urge President Buhari, the Minister of Health, PTF on COVID-19 and @NCDCgov to ensure equitable access, human rights, transparency, and accountability in the distribution of the vaccines.

“We urge the Federal and State governments to publicly and widely make available all spending details on COVID-19.

“We’ll be issuing Freedom of Information requests to Nigerian authorities to ensure transparency and accountability around COVID-19 spending and distribution.

“Nigerian authorities must disclose and widely publish including online details on the delivery and distribution of #COVID19 vaccine doses.

“Nigerians need to know the details including the costs and logistics of distribution so that they can hold governments and public officials to account for the country’s constitutional and international human rights and anti-corruption obligations.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a major public health and human rights crisis in the country today. Vaccines should not be distributed on the basis of people’s political and economic power or influence.

“Nigerian authorities at both the Federal and State levels must ensure that everyone enjoys equal access to the vaccines within the shortest possible time, consistent with the principles of human rights, transparency, and accountability, including access to essential medicines.”

SERAP said it will “challenge any blanket mandatory imposition of vaccine policies on the people, adding that authorities should ensure that vaccination is voluntary wherever and whenever possible.”

“Any policy on COVID-19 vaccines must be entirely consistent with human rights standards,” the group added.