Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, has said the Federal Government won’t force any state of the federation to accept Covid-19 vaccines as it can’t afford wastage in its distribution of the available vaccines.
Mamora said this while featuring on a Punch Live Interview yesterday.
He made the statement against the background of the stance of the Kogi Statete Governor on the lethal pandemic and the discovered vaccines meant to fight it.
Bello had, in the wake of the discovery of Covid-19 vaccines across the globe, said the vaccines was meant to kill and not to cure people.
And months later after the country try received its share of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines, Bello insisted that he won’t take the vaccines, adding that residents of his state are not “guinea pigs”.
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Some eminent Nigerians, including the President and his deputy, have been receiving the vaccines and there has been no reports of side effects so far.
However, when asked yesterday whether the Federal Government would give the vaccines to Kogi State given what the governor had said, the minister said, “We have to weigh all that is involved. We are not going to compel anyone to take the vaccines.
“We are also conscious of the fact that even as at now, we don’t have enough vaccines.
“So, in essence, if a state through the governor or through any other person in that position says that we don’t want the vaccines in their states, we will not force that.
“Our priority will go to states that are willing and are ready and have even made request to make the vaccines. Even the Bible says, ‘Ask and it shall be given’. We will give to those states that have requested for it. If a state decides not to ask for it, we are not going to compel such a state to ask for it.”
