The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has distanced itself from claims credited to the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello about COVID-19 vaccines.
A communique issued by the governors at the end of their meeting which held virtually on Wednesday, (but made public on Thursday), rejected claims by Bello that the COVID-19 vaccines are meant to kill Nigerians.
It will be recalled as earlier reported by Naija News that the Governor was seen in a video widely circulating on Facebook, discouraging a crowd of supporters from taking the vaccines.
“…They want to use the (COVID-19) vaccines to introduce the disease that will kill you and us. God forbid!” Mr Bello said.
“These vaccines are being produced in less than one year of COVID-19. There is no vaccine yet for HIV, malaria, cancer and for several diseases that are killing us… We should draw our minds back to what happened in Kano during the polio vaccines that crippled and killed our children. We have learned our lessons.
“If they say they are taking the vaccines in the public allow them take their vaccines. Don’t say I said you should not take it but if you want to take it open your eyes before you take the vaccines,” Yahaya Bello said.
However, the NGF have dissociated themselves from his claims about the COVID-19 vaccines.
The NGF statement reads partially; “On the ill-fated pronouncement made by a member of the forum regarding the Covid-19 vaccine in a national daily, the forum totally and categorically dissociated itself from the statement.”
The NGF added that it “will continue to be informed and guided by science and will ensure that every decision it takes retains public and professional trust and is not compromised by conflicts of interest.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria has been listed among twelve African countries to receive the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines next month.
The development was confirmed on Thursday, January 21 by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Kayode Fayemi, Naija News understands.
According to the Ekiti State governor, the first shipment of the vaccines for developing countries would arrive in Nigeria by the end of February as revealed in a statement released at the end of a virtual meeting of the Nigeria Governors Forum held on Wednesday but made public on Thursday (today).