COVID-19 vaccination: House Speaker tell Nigerians not to play politics with vaccines

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has urged all Nigerians to rally behind the Federal Government to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, describing it as “an unseen enemy” causing havoc around the world.

He noted that only a collective effort devoid of politics and conspiracy theories could guarantee a successful war against the virus.

Gbajabiamila, who was speaking in Abuja on Friday during the National Flag-off of Covid-19 Vaccination in Nigeria, also appealed to the media to pass accurate information about the virus and the vaccines to the public.

The speaker added that the vaccination was an “epical” moment in the history of the country, as Nigeria finally began the journey of fighting a pandemic that ravaged it and changed lifestyles in the last one year.

Nigeria had on March 2 received the first batch of about 4 million Oxford/AstraZeneca jab Covid-19 vaccines and launched the national vaccination against the virus on Friday.

Gbajabiamila said: “This is the time for us to rally behind the government. Like the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has said, the virus knows no creed, knows no religion, knows no ethnicity, knows no sex and knows no age.

“So, it is important for all of us to come together as a country to fight the pandemic. As I have often said, we are actually in a war, but in a war with an unseen enemy.

“Therefore, when a country goes to war, you go as one. I want to implore the journalists and implore all Nigerians, therefore, not to give in to conspiracy theories because we will hear them.

The Speaker assured Nigerians that with the support of the National Assembly, the government would deliver more vaccine doses to the country soon to expand the vaccination beyond the first 4 million doses.

He advised against playing politics with the vaccination and specifically enlisted the support of the media to ensure that the right decisions were taken always.

“We must not play politics with vaccines; we must not play politics with the health of our neighbour; we must be on the same page whilst we also correct and do what you need to do in terms of your role in checking the government and holding their feet to the fire”, Gbajabiamila said.

The Speaker commended the efforts of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 led by the SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha, for the doggedness with which the members worked in the last one year to contain the virus from spiralling out of control in Nigeria.

He praised health workers and other frontline personnel glowingly for risking their lives so that the lives of other Nigerians could be saved from the virus.

In keeping with the government’s promise to administer the vaccines to health workers first, Dr. Cyprian Ngom, a physician managing one of the treatment centres in the Federal Capital Territory, made history as the first Nigerian to take the Covid-19 vaccine on Friday.