Why Nigerians should receive Covid-19 vaccination — Mustapha

THE Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha, has revealed why it is advisable for all Nigerians  to avail themselves to be vaccinated against the deadly virus.

Mustapha said this is because the vaccination certificate would soon become  a mandatory requirement to travel anywhere in the world.

The Secretary to the  Government of the Federation stated this on Saturday at the New Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Mustapha who spoke to newsmen shortly after President Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo were vaccinated against Covid-19.

He spoke shortly after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, were vaccinated against COVID-19.

THE Executive Secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, presented Buhari and Osinbajo with their Covid-19 vaccination certificates.

The agency had earlier in the week announced that the first and second citizens of the country would receive the vaccination publicly to dissipate vaccine hesitancy  amongst Nigerians. 

Meanwhile, speaking at the event, the PTF chairman said, “Speaking at the event, the PTF chairman said, “Today, Mr President and the Vice-President have equally demonstrated leadership by offering themselves for the Nigerian people to believe in the safety and the efficacy of the vaccines that we have procured and is being deployed.

“Vaccine hesitancy will have to give way to the reality because the truth about it is that very soon, nobody will be able to travel the world unless you produce the certificate that you have been given. I have not confirmed this but reliably, some countries have started putting restrictions for receiving visitors, even for exercising activities of their faith, without a COVID-19 vaccination certificate.

“The word that is going out there on behalf of Mr President is that Nigerians should make themselves available, those that are eligible in the first phase of the deployment, because the deployment is going to be in four phases, to receive these vaccines.

“They (vaccines) have been tested, our most strategic leadership have received these vaccines this morning. They are safe, they are efficacious and it is for the good and wellbeing of our people”.
Mustapha further urged Nigerians not to believe conspiracy theories and myths about he vaccines.

Despite the awareness created by the government about the deadly virus, there are still people who believe Covid-19 is not real.

Prominent among those people is the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, who has has consistently shown his undisguised contempt for the  attention given to the virus.He had said that vaccination against the virus would kill and not cure people.

Bello also said yesterday that he won’t receive the Covid-19 vaccination adding that  he is hale and hearty.

The governor also noted that he would not persuade people of Kogi to be vaccinated stressing that they are not “guinea pigs”.