COVID-19: Kogi Gov Bows To Pressure, Agrees To Roll-Out Vaccination

Kogi State Government has announced plans to commence roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine after its prolonged skepticism on the existence of COVID-19 and safety of the vaccines developed to prevent its spread.

The State’s Health Commissioner, Saka Haruna, who disclosed this on Monday, said the state had adhered to guidelines of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to install a storage system for the vaccine.

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The state’s Governor, Yahaya Bello, had contributed to the growing concerns about the vaccines after claiming that the they were developed to “kill” Africans.

“They want to use the (COVID-19) vaccines to introduce the disease that will kill you and us. God forbids,” had said during one of his outings in Kogi.

The governor asked Kogi residents to recall, “what happened in Kano during the Pfizer polio vaccines that crippled and killed our children. We have learned our lessons,” adding that “If they say they are taking the vaccines in the public, allow them to take their vaccines. Don’t say I said you should not take it but if you want to take it open your eyes before you take the vaccines.”

However, the commissioner of health, having received his vaccine on Tuesday ahead of the rollout, told TheCable that residents would be given unhindered access to receive the vaccine.

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“Anybody that is willing to receive the vaccine (will receive it); nobody is exempted. And nobody will be forced to receive the vaccine, he said.

Haruna also mentioned that the state had done the microplanning and that everything had been completed with the NPHCDA to enable commencement of vaccination in the state.

When asked if the governor had received his vaccine in accordance with the NPHCDA directives, he said, “The governor does not have to receive the vaccine before others will; I don’t think there is anything special about COVID that we have to bring the governor out to come and receive the vaccine”.

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