BUA Group has clashed with the Coalition against COVID-19 (CACOVID) after the latter discredited its payment for one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
BUA Group had on Monday said it paid for million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the AfreximBank vaccine programme in partnership with CACOVID.
The vaccine, according to the firm, would be distributed free of charge to the public.
However, CACOVID operations committee knocked BUA over the claims, adding that individuals or companies cannot purchase the vaccine except through the Federal Government.
In reaction, BUA fired back at the group which it is a member of, accusing it of playing politics with lives.
“BUA receives with utter shock, reports allegedly attributed to CACOVID, disowning its earlier payment through CACOVID for 1 million AstraZena doses for Nigeria via the AFREXIM vaccine platform,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.
“At the cacovid steering committee meeting held today February 8, 2021 (of which BUA is a member), members were informed by the CBN Governor that CACOVID had been given the opportunity through the Afrexim Platform to access and pay for 1million dose, provided payment was made today or tomorrow failure which the opportunity to get those doses next week may be lost.
“After extensive deliberation, there was no agreement reached and despite members being offered the opportunity to donate funds towards procuring the doses, none offered. BUA then took it upon itself to offer to pay for the 1million doses at the agreed rate of US$3.45 per dose totaling US$3,450,000,000.00 which translates to 1.311 billion Naira.”
BUA Group claimed a prominent member of CACOVID was not happy with the donation.
