Kogi people are not Guinea pigs, so I won’t take COVID-19 vaccine – Yahaya Bello

Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has said that he will not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, because it is not what his people need at the moment.

Daily Correspondents had reported that State governors and some prominent Nigerians are to receive the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccines in few days from now.

The federal government had commenced the vaccination of Nigerians at a ceremony in Abuja on Friday, starting with frontline health workers.

Nigeria received about four million doses of the vaccine at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja on Tuesday.

But Governor Bello while speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme monitored by Daily Correspondents said he would not allow the people of Kogi State to be used by the federal government as “guinea pigs”.

“COVID-19 is not our business in Kogi State. We have more pertinent issues that need to be attended to in Kogi State.

“COVID-19 is just a minute aspect of what we are treating or handling in Kogi State; there have been outbreaks of Lassa Fever and Yellow Fever and those were handled without making noise about it.

“As far as I am concerned, I as a person, I do not need to take vaccines. There is nothing wrong with me. I am hale and hearty. I am 100 percent healthy, I won’t take any vaccines,” Bello said.

“President Buhari is the leader of this country. I respect him; all of us respect him so much. We love him and he is leading by example. If he needs to take the COVID-19 vaccine and he takes it, it is a welcome development, but I will not make my people guinea pigs,” Bello added.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo will take the vaccines on Saturday.