BE VACCINATED OR BE PUNISHED! Nigerians In Fear After FG Threatens To Punish Anyone That Refuses To Take COVID-19 Vaccine3 min read

The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, disclosed on Tuesday in Abuja while briefing newsmen about COVID-19 vaccination, that the federal government is considering sanctions against Nigerians who endanger the lives of others by refusing COVID-19 vaccination.

In his statement, he said,

“The Presidential Steering Committee and the Federal Ministry of Health are exploring ways of making vaccines more available to all Nigerians including federal civil servants and corporate entities and upon the availability of the vaccines, we would need to have a frank discussion about justice, fairness, and liberty that exist around vaccine hesitancy.

Commenting about the rights of people to decline the call for vaccinations, he stated that,

 “If some individuals refuse to take the vaccine, hence endangering those who have or those who could not due to medical exemptions, then we have to apply the basic rule of law which stipulates that your human right stops where mine begins. So, you have a right to refuse vaccines, but you do not have the right to endanger the health of others.”

Furthermore, he called on governors to provide leadership in mobilizing citizens and encourage them to participate in the vaccination exercise.

To this effect, the Edo and Ondo state governments had announced that those who have not been vaccinated would be restricted from accessing public places, including religious centres, to which, Shuaib commended the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki for mobilizing religious leaders toward mass acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.

However, a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday, granted an ex parte order restraining Obaseki and the Edo State Government from enforcing the directive mandating all residents of the state to compulsorily get vaccinated for COVID-19.

On the second phase of the vaccination exercise, the Executive Director of the NPHCDA commented that, for clients who have not had any vaccination, the Moderna vaccine is available and is being administered currently in all designated health facilities in the country. He said the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination has commenced in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The NPHCDA boss called on those who received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine before 8th July 2021 to go for their second dose to be fully protected against all strains of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Medical Association and health workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Union faulted the move by the government.

While the NMA said the people had the right to reject vaccines the same way they could reject medical treatment, JOHESU stated that the move to make vaccination compulsory was senseless.

Governor Obaseki had last week said any resident of the state, who refused to take the vaccine, would be barred from public places and large gatherings.

Also on Monday, the Ondo State Government said it would bar those without proof of vaccination from churches, mosques, and other public places.

JOHESU said the policy to compel all eligible citizens to get vaccinated did not make sense.

The spokesman for JOHESU, Olumide Akintayo, in an interview with The Punch, faulted state governments, which made COVID-19 vaccination compulsory.

He said the policy would only be sensible if there were enough vaccines to inoculate eligible citizens.

Akintayo stated,

 “If you are thinking of it in terms of responsibility, it makes sense; but practically, we all know it is an impossible task. If all the doses that have been sent to Nigeria since this outbreak is less than 10 million, how do you enforce that kind of policy in a country of over 200 million people?

“You don’t just come up with policies that are not backed by common sense; you don’t just say things because you want to talk. It would have made some sense if the vaccines are available for everyone.”

The General Secretary of the NMA, Philips Ekpe, said citizens could not be forced to be vaccinated against COVID-19 the same way they had the right to reject medical treatment.

Rather than being forced, he said Nigerians should be made to understand the need to be vaccinated.

Ekpe said this in an interview with The PUNCH.

According to him, although they cannot be forced, citizens who refuse vaccination should stay in their houses so that they don’t endanger others.

He said, “The Federal Government needs to make people understand the reason why they need to be vaccinated. They have the right to say no. You cannot force people. People have the right to say no to medical treatment.

“But you should let them understand the dangers of not getting vaccinated. For example, if you want to travel out of the country, if you are not vaccinated, you will not be let in. The reason is because the other country you are going to won’t want to endanger the lives of its citizens.

“Let them understand the importance, but then if they refuse, they should stay in their houses and not go out and endanger others.”