Apparently irked by the surge in the COVID-19 pandemic cases, especially the Delta variant, the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, last week ordered a compulsory vaccination of all residents of the state. He said those who refused to be vaccinated by September 15 would be barred from public places such as banks and worship centres and large gatherings. Available records show that 193,644 COVID -19 cases have been confirmed, 179,000 cases discharged, and 2,488 deaths recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Edo State has its own fair share of 5,462 confirmed cases. The order, which Governor Obaseki said was to curtail the spread of the pandemic, has generated sundry reactions from the public. A civil society group has protested against the move and even secured a court order from a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt halting the governor from enforcing the order.
The Ondo State government also said it would bar those without proof of vaccination from public places and large gatherings, even as the Federal Government gave a hint that it was mulling sanctions for eligible Nigerians who fail to take COVID-19 vaccination after the vaccines have been made available. The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, who gave the charge at a press briefing in Abuja, said that there would be imposition of sanctions on those not vaccinated because they would be endangering the lives of others. “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,” he affirmed.
In spite of the order on COVID-19 vaccination, some health workers, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), have criticised the move saying that people have the right to reject vaccines in the same way they could also reject medical treatment. The plan by the government to ensure that all eligible Nigerians are vaccinated is understandable considering the lethal nature of the pandemic.
However, people should be allowed to decide whether to take vaccination or not. Governments all over the world are duty bound to protect the lives of the people. However, it is hard to understand how the government will vaccinate millions of Nigerians with less than 10 million doses of vaccines that are said to have been made available since the outbreak of the pandemic. We expect the government to channel more efforts towards procuring more vaccines.
Our vaccination rate is still one of the lowest in Africa. So far, Nigeria has administered about five million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. With a population of 200 million people, not less than 3.6 million Nigerians have been vaccinated. Government should rather persuade and make people understand the need to be vaccinated. Some Nigerians are opposed to the vaccination probably because of wrong information, superstition and other beliefs. They should be persuaded to accept vaccines as safe and not injurious to their health. They should neither be threatened nor be vaccinated by force. They have the right to either accept or refuse it.
Let government organise enlightenment programmes on the need for people to take COVID-19 vaccines. Such campaigns, to be taken to the 774 local government areas, will make the citizens accept the vaccination and not
threats which can lead to vaccine hesitancy. Combating the pandemic requires all hands to be on deck. Making COVID-19 vaccination certificate compulsory for entering some public places may inadvertently lead to procuring of fake ones. We believe that increased vaccination can be achieved if government persuades the people to take the vaccine instead of threatening them over it.
