Nigerians Won't be Forced to Take COVID-19 Vaccine, FG says
- COVID-19 vaccination will not be forced on citizens who are not interested in receiving the jab
- Nigeria's federal government says it can only plead with citizens to take the vaccines for their own sake
- The junior minister of health Mamora explained the reason Kogi state has yet to receive its batch of the Astrazeneca vaccine doses
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No Nigerian will be forced to take part in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination programme, the federal government has said.
Premium Times reports that the minister of state for health, Olorunnimbe Mamora confirmed this in Asaba, the Delta state capital on Friday, March 19 while commissioning some projects at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba.
Mamora, who was responding to a question about Kogi state's unwillingness to participate in the coronavirus vaccination, said:
“Let me state clearly here that from the onset, the Federal Government made it clear that it will not force anyone to take the vaccine, but rather will continue to appeal to people in their own interests."
Source: Twitter
The minister explained that the COVID-19 vaccine had not been sent to Kogi because some of the state's facilities were destroyed during the anti-police brutality protests in the last quarter of 2020.
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Mamora noted further Kogi currently lacked the capacity to preserve the vaccines.
He added:
"Kogi lacked storage facilities for cold chain, security, logistics and personnel to administer the vaccines.
“Aside that, in Kogi, that you mentioned specifically, one of the reasons the vaccine has not been sent there is because during the #EndSARS crisis, some of their facilities were violently destroyed.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported earlier that only Kogi state has yet to take delivery of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after other states of the federation received theirs.
The executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, confirmed this much on Thursday, March 18.
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Akinyemi Akinrujomu is a professionally trained journalist with over 16 years of experience. His knowledge spans print, broadcast, and online media. He has worked in several top media organizations in Nigeria. He has also pioneered several print media publications. He is a graduate of History and International Studies from the Lagos State University and he also holds a professional National Diploma in Journalism. He loves reading, travelling and listening to music.
Source: Legit.ng
