Nigeria has begun talks with and the Peoples Republic of China on having access to the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.
Speaking in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, remarked that China has been of immense assistance to Nigeria since the advent of the pandemic. He noted that the donation of protective equipment has greatly impacted the nation in the fight against COVID-19.
“At a point when countries are producing vaccines and China is one of them, Nigeria has decided to engage China regarding access to the vaccine”, Onyeama said after a bilateral meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi.
“China is also one of those countries that have been able to produce vaccines for COVID-19, so we are engaging with China with regards access to vaccines for our people.”
Wang Yi is currently in Nigeria on a working visit.
According to Onyeama, the relationship between Nigeria and China dates back to 50 years. Both countries have many areas of cooperation to celebrate.
“… in 2021, we would be celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Peoples Republic of China,” Onyeama added.
Giving insights into some of the deliberations during the closed-door meeting, Onyeama disclosed that he and his counterpart looked at the trade relations between the two countries and areas requiring improvements.
Also discussed were health issues and the global pandemic.
In the area of fostering relations, both countries are now considering having direct flights from Nigeria to China.
“We want to establish direct air link with China. We hope that very soon, a Nigerian carrier would be carrying out scheduled flights to China in the not too distant future,” Onyeama concluded.