The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has dismissed Russia’s claim about United States(US) controlled biological laboratories operating in Nigeria.
Director General of NCDC, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa in a statement issued on Tuesday May 31, 2022 said, Russia’s allegations were void of proof and therefore, did not hold water.
The statement read in part: “A recent report on social media has come to our attention, said to have been released by the Chief of Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force, containing allegations:
“That ‘there are four US-controlled biological laboratories operating in Nigeria’. That ‘WHO reports that the Monkeypox (MPX) virus responsible for outbreaks in Europe and elsewhere was imported from Nigeria where the United States of America deployed its biological infrastructure. In order words, MPX virus is generated in these laboratories’.
“The statement is not backed by any evidence. The designation and activities of Nigerian public health laboratories are known to the supervising authorities, most of the laboratories having been procured and set up by the Federal Government in all 36 States and FCT for diagnostic purposes, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious diseases.
“Some other laboratories are dedicated to the very successful HIV control program, managed by the Federal Government and her Partners, based on larger and longstanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation in public health, including prevention, diagnosis, surveillance, and control of diseases”.
Adetifa, futher disclosed that, as a rule, Nigeria welcomes scientific cooperation with all foreign countries, and has received material support from the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan etc, and also discussed vaccine production with Russia.
He explained that collaboration between Nigeria and the United States had provided opportunities for technical assistance, capacity building, provision of equipment and field hospitals at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and funds to support health programmes, like HIV/AIDS, malaria elimination.
