OGUN: I won’t take Covid-19 vaccine, I’m not a guinea pig – Oyedepo

LIKE the governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, the Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide aka Winners’ Chapel, David Oyedepo, has said he won’t take Covid-19 vaccine jab, as he is not an experimental guinea pig.

The Omu-aran born cleric stated this yesterday during the church’s Covenant Hour of Prayer programme.

He said, “I have never seen a generation where you force people to take vaccines. It is inhuman; it is immoral sir. I’m not a lawyer but I don’t think it is legal. You can’t come to my house and want to give me injection.

“On what? Did I invite you? They are confused. But the church has the answer. Did you see any outbreak of virus here? How will it enter the gate? Will it come through the air? How? One woman just got down after that injection in Kaduna. What kind of life? Are human beings now turned to guinea pigs?

Oyedepo said the church is a perfect foil for the world stressing that the latter’s triump will humble the pride of the former.

“The world is confused but the church is lighted. So the triumph of the church will humble the pride of the world. They don’t know what to do sir. In the last days, the church will be reigning in power and glory. That is God’s agenda.

“No apologies. There is a big, big bird in our land, saying ‘don’t take it, they are deceivers’. Let me see someone who will come and inject me. By who? Are you going to tie my hands? How? Did I invite you? I know you are quiet, you will hear more of it. My job is to expose the devil and tell his agents, ‘get off, we are not guinea pigs’.”

Oyedepo has never hidden his revulsion for the government’s approach to the pandemic since its incursion into the shores of country in February last year.

He was particularly miffed by the decision of the government to impose lockdown across the country without excluding the church, which he argued could help fight the lethal virus spiritually.

In the heat of the first wave of the pandemic, Oyedepo had questioned the government’s decision to keep the markets opened while churches across the country remained shut.

But with his latest comment, the cleric is joining the like of the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, Apostle Johnson Suleiman and Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy, who have criticised Christians going for the Covid-19 vaccine for lacking faith.

According to Oyakhilome, they have ignored God the healer, turned from being ministers of the gospel and are now ministers of the vaccine.

But the Senior Pastor of Trinity House, Ituah Ighodalo, among other clergymen, has criticised those who rely on faith to protect them from an infection he claims God has already provided a vaccine for.

Ighodalo stressed that it is foolishness to have faith when God has provided vaccine.

Ighodalo, who featured in an Arise TV programme a week ago, advised his fellow pastors “to do their research, get the knowledge and stop misinforming and improperly educating people on guesswork, instincts and mere suppositions.”

Ighodalo said, “It is foolishness to keep having faith that God will protect you from an infection he has made provision for vaccines that can provide a high percentage of protection.”

Nigeria commenced its vaccination programme against the novel coronavirus last month with 3.924m doses of AstraZeneca vaccine doses.

According to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, 1,081,548 doses of the vaccine have so far been administered across the country as of April 17.

Over 160,000 Covid infections and more than 2,000 associated deaths have been recorded in the country in the last one year, according to statistics by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.