As the Federal Government plans compulsory COVID-19 vaccination for civil servants in Nigeria, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said that anyone who refuses to be vaccinated will be barred from attending weddings and other social events in the state.
He said this in response to the decision of a court that invalidated his order that the vaccination is compulsory.
He said his words had all along been misunderstood or misinterpreted in terms of the compulsion.
He, however, insisted that proof of vaccination would become a pass for people who want to join public gatherings in the state.
According to him, the organiser of such a wedding will ensure that their invitees have got vaccinated, otherwise, they will be stopped from getting in.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has also given an indication that the exercise will become compulsory for civil servants.
While many people and some organisations, including the Christian Association of Nigeria, have said no to forced vaccination, Mustapha, on Thursday, stated during a meeting with the state’s commissioners for health in Abuja that the vaccine mandate would obviously come.
He said, “Before now, simple yellow fever vaccine, you couldn’t travel without the card until Nigeria exited from the list of endangering countries.
“The world is gravitating towards that direction. By the time the western world vaccinates its people, you won’t be able to get to any of the western countries without the vaccine certificate. It is happening.
“In the EU dispensation now, they have created some waivers for people that have been vaccinated. It is better we begin to prepare our people at home.
“The United Nations General Assembly will be starting soon. We will need our people to go there. Assuming the American Government says you can’t come into the US unless you are vaccinated and we have not vaccinate our people; how will they go to prepare ground for the meeting that will be attended by the President and other top government officials?
“It is a sequential thing. We are taking one step at a time. We realised that we don’t have sufficient vaccines; we will not be able to impose such mandate on an automatic basis until we make sure that vaccine is available and deployed in appropriate places and people we have opportunities to get the vaccines. Then we will now impose the mandatory nature of whether you must have the vaccine or not before you can access government facilities.”
According to the CAN President, the COVID-19 vaccines available in Nigeria were far below the country’s need.
He urged the Edo State Government to rescind its plan to bar people who could not show evidence of vaccination; from entering the church, mosques, as well as public events centres beginning from September.
“While we fully support vaccination, we equally recognize that vaccination depends on individual choice. In view of the foregoing, coercing people into getting vaccinated is a violation of the fundamental right of each individual,” he said.
The CAN president also asked political leaders to learn to tolerate citizens’ criticism of policies and programmes of government
He urged Nigerians to be modest and factual in their comments; and respect those “leading us…that does not erode their rights and freedom of expression; by speaking the truth always to those they elected into power without fear.”
Ayokunle warned Nigerians against inciting people against leaders, ethnic and religious groups.
