Ahead of the commencement of COVID-19 vaccination, the federal government yesterday assured Nigerians that it won’t make it mandatory for them to take the vaccine.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, while fielding questions when he appeared on The Morning Show, the flagship breakfast programme on ARISE NEWS Channels, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, said inasmuch as the federal government was desirous of combating the pandemic, it would not tamper with people’s rights to accept or reject being vaccinated.
Nigeria on Tuesday had taken delivery of 3.94 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as part of efforts to vaccinate 70 per cent of the population between 2021 and 2022.
Preparatory to the vaccination, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in a Tweet on Monday, had announced the launch of an online portal where people could register for the vaccination. Already, President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha and other prominent Nigerians have been pencilled in to be vaccinated on Saturday. (ThisDay)