By Temi Joshua
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, says he will not take the COVID-19 vaccine, and he will not make the people of Kogi State guinea pig by forcing them to take the vaccine.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) had announced that the 36 state governors have unanimously agreed to take the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, with their deputies.
However, speaking in an interview with Channel Television on Friday, March 5, the governor said, “COVID-19 is not our business in Kogi State. We have more pertinent issues that we are attending in Kogi state. We met insecurity and we have tackled it. We met disunity on the ground but today, we have united Kogi state. COVID-19 is just a minute aspect of what we are treating in Kogi state.
There has been an outbreak of Lassa fever and yellow fever and those were handled without making noise about it. because we vaccinated our people against the last yellow fever, we encouraged them and they felt the impact as it ravaged some communities in Kogi state, they came out and we vaccinated them.
If the federal government is gracious enough and gave us COVID-19 vaccine, we are equally going to sensitise our people and whoever wants to take will come forward and take the vaccination. But I am not going to subject the people of Kogi state to vaccination or make them a guinea pig.
Mr. President is the leader of this country. I respect him so highly. All of us respect him so much and we love him. He is leading by example. If he needs to take the vaccine and he takes it, it is a welcome development.
I as a person, I don’t need to take the vaccine. Nothing is wrong with me. I am hale and hearty; 100 per cent healthy. I can give you my health report anytime you desire it. if I’m not ill, I won’t take any vaccine.”
