The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) hinted that it has introduced covid-19 vaccinations on Sundays, in Churches.
Dr. Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director of the agency disclosed this today at the sensitisation meeting of Christian leaders on phase 2 Covid-19 vaccination in Abuja.
TheFact Nigeria noted that the government was using every available option to exhaust the covid-19 vaccines in its possession.
In his remarks, the NPHCDA boss stated that the Christian leaders had previously been a strong support system in eradicating polio and other vaccine preventable diseases from the country and he was counting on them to cascade the right information about the covid-19 vaccine to their followers, he said:
“This meeting we are having today, is in line with our strategic approach of mobilizing the communities for vaccination to ensure effective participation and collaboration in our planning, decision making and implementation processes. This is to equip the faith community with credible information on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
“Your excellency, Your Eminence, distinguished Christian leaders, ladies, and gentlemen, one of the challenges to our collective desire to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic is rumour and misinformation, including among a few in the Christian community. This has resulted in vaccine hesitancy across all States of the Federation, a behaviour which puts the lives of individuals and our communities at great risk.
“Nevertheless, the Federal Government is encouraged by your presence at this meeting today as we are confident that with more systematic support from the faith community, we shall successfully vaccinate all eligible Nigerians as scheduled so that we can return to our normal way of life including the ways we worship and show care for our brethren”, said Dr. Shuaib.
Speaking further, he showed gratitude to
Christian leaders who gave his team access to their churches and members to receive Covid-19 vaccine in church, he said:
“Your Eminence, the CAN President, distinguished Christian leaders, ladies, and gentlemen, I am glad to inform you that from this Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine roll out, we have introduced Sunday Vaccination.
“This is to ensure members of the Christian community who may not have had access to the vaccine for whatever reason are given an opportunity to be vaccinated at their worship places.
“I must say that feedback from the field is very encouraging and I sincerely thank all Christian leaders who have given the vaccination team access to their churches and their members to receive Covid-19 vaccine during sunday service,
the NPHCDA boss stated.
Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, The Minister of State for Health reiterated that the vaccines were safe and had been approved by the relevant authorities.
He urged the Christian leaders to use their influence and mobilise their followers to quickly take the vaccines so that the government can procure more.
Bishop Dr. Sunday N Onuoha,
Executive Director Nigerian Interfaith Action Association in an exclusive interview stated that he did not belong to the school of thought that labelled the covid-19 vaccines anti-christ, he said:
“We all need to fight the current misinformation, vaccination has nothing to do with anti-christ, people took polio vaccines to be well, people also took malaria medicines to be well.
“As far as I am concerned, whatever we can do medically to address covid-19, you can’t see it as being anti-christ, it is a health challenge we are having in our world and this is not the first time our world is experiencing an epidemic, it has been there through generations and that is why God provides for us through experiences like this”, he explained.
