COVID-19 origins tracing should be clear of 'political virus': Nigerian expert

ABUJA - The COVID-19 origins tracing should be led by scientific inquiry and clear of "the political virus", a Nigerian expert has said.

The tracing "should not be tainted with the political virus of big power rivalry and ideological hegemony", Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies, said at a workshop on the fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, local daily The Sun reported on Wednesday.

Only when scientific inquiry leads the tracing, with countries collaborating and the World Health Organization (WHO) playing a vital and pivotal role, can the credibility of any outcome be guaranteed, he said, noting that the US intelligence community's probe into the origins entrusted by the US government is hardly free of the political virus.

"No one country, no matter how much it is endowed, can alone provide a credible investigation and result," Onunaiju said.

"The imperative for broad collaboration and scientific-led inquiry cannot be over-emphasised if the outcome of any origins investigation is to be credible," he added.

China's initiative on COVID-19 vaccines cooperation in the Belt and Road partnership has strengthened multilateralism and international cooperation in building a great wall against the virus, Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, a professor at the University of Abuja, said at the workshop, adding that more than 100 countries have accepted Chinese COVID-19 vaccines.