AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine: Sultan of Sokoto Sends Crucial Message to Nigerian Muslims
- No one will be forced to take the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria
- This was the submission of the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, on Friday, March 19
- According to Abubakar the vaccine has the endorsement of the Islamic affairs council
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Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, on Friday, March 19, said that the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has endorsed the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Abubakar made this disclosure at a meeting in Abuja with the NSCIA's president on Friday.
However, the Sultan said that despite the endorsement of the vaccine, the council will not force any Muslim faithful to take the jab.
Source: Twitter
Among those who attended the same meeting were Boss Mustapha who is also the hairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, and the executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib.
The NSCIA shared resolutions of the event on its Twitter page
It said the vaccine is safe for use.
On his part, Mustapha said the PTF will begin the vaccination of religious and traditional leaders.
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Giving his submission, Ehanire said the vaccine so far is safe as there are no reports of side-effect from persons who have taken it.
Meanwhile, the Lagos state government had released a list of 88 health facilities that were expected to administer the vaccine in 20 local government areas.
This was disclosed by the state's commissioner for health, Professor Akin Abayomi on Tuesday, March 16.
Abayomi explained that the first phase of the exercise is for healthcare workers, COVID-19 response team, officials of ports of entry (air, land, and seaports), laboratory network, judiciary, military, police, other security agencies, petrol station, schools, press, and other frontline workers.
He noted that the second phase is for people aged 50 years and above as well as those living with co-morbidities who are between 18 to 49 years.
Onyirioha Nnamdi is a graduate of Literature and English Language at the University of Lagos. He is a Politics/Current Affairs Editor who writes on news and political topics for Legit.ng. He brings into his reporting a wealth of experience in creative and analytical writing. Nnamdi has a major interest in local and global politics.
Source: Legit.ng
