The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, says he will not accept the COVID-19 vaccine and will not allow residents of his state to be used as “guinea pigs”.
He spoke on “Politics Today”, a Channels Television programme as the nation commenced the roll-out of the nearly 4 million doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccines shipped into Nigeria on Tuesday.
A medical doctor at the National Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Cyprian Ngong was the first to receive the jab in the country, as frontline health workers became the first batch of Nigerians to be vaccinated.
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President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo are scheduled to be vaccinated publicly on Saturday, while governors and deputy governors will get vaccinated on Wednesday, March 10.
“COVID-19 is not our business in Kogi State. We have more pertinent issues and more pertinent matters that we are attending to in Kogi State. Insecurity we met, we’ve tackled it and several others. Disunity we met on ground and we have united Kogi State today not COVID-19.
“COVID-19 is just a minute aspect of what we are treating or handling in Kogi State; there have been outbreaks of Lassa Fever and Yellow Fever and those were handled without making noise about it.
“The last Yellow Fever (outbreak), we vaccinated out people against Yellow Fever, we encouraged them, we educated them and they felt the impact…If the Federal Government is gracious enough and give us COVID-19 vaccines, we will equally sensitise our people, people who wish to come and take can come and take but I am not going to subject the people of Kogi State to vaccines or vaccination and I will not make them the guinea pigs.
He added that he had nothing against the president opting to take the vaccine but that would not change his mind about not accepting it.
“Mr President is the leader of this country. I respect him so high; all of us respect him so much. We love him and he is leading by example. If he needs to take the vaccines and he takes it, it is a welcome development.
“As far as I am concerned, I as a person, I don’t need to take vaccines. There is nothing wrong with me, I am hale and hearty. I am 100 per cent healthy…I won’t take any vaccine,” Bello said.