By Felix Uka, Abakaiki
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has urged Igbo people to accept the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines being administered by the Nigerian government.
The group, in a statement, described the fears and panics among Nigerians on the authenticity and potentialities of the vaccines as generally administered as a mythical beliefs of Nigerians, which needed to be dealt without further delay.
The document authored by Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the secretary general of the
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, pointed out that there were evidences of people’s rejection of COVID-19 vaccines, which prompted them to interfere and start the campaign to encourage Ndigbo to participate in the process of COVID-19 vaccines administrating, as a measure of combating the pandemic in Igboland.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo calls on Igbo governors to establish unified communications and protocols to meet the needs of Ndigbo in the process of administering the COVID-19 vaccine programmes. We are aware of the ongoing sabotage of few scrupulous medical officials in diversions of COVID-19 vaccines to private hospitals and individuals to be resold to patients”, they stated.
“There must be strict rules for the COVID-19 vaccines administering to Ndigbo. Governors must place grave sanctions on erring medical professionals caught in mischievous acts of sabotage.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo will continue the distribution of COVID-19 PPEs to Igbo markets and public schools and the next destination will be Ebonyi State and urge Ndigbo to accept the COVID-19 vaccine without any fear or ill feelings about the potentialities”.
