Geraldine Onyenweaku
Vaccination has become the buzzword, but the idea that someone or a particular country must rush to be the first to enforce it on all its citizens is, to say the least, mistaken and reckless, which increases the breach on human rights.
There is no doubt that vaccination is expedient and important, given the present circumstances; amid fear that those refusing to be vaccinated will be endangering the lives of others who have willingly vaccinated themselves against the dreaded COVID-19 disease. Opinions are divided among those who feel that everyone must be compelled to take the vaccine and those who argue that taking the vaccine is a matter of choice, which falls within the fundamental human rights of a person.
The latter believe that government rather than force it down on people should devise better means of making the vaccine more acceptable to the people. This group canvasses for advocacy, education, sensitization and if and where possible offer incentives or reward those who willingly get vaccinated. According to this school of thought, they believe that employing the draconian method won’t work, especially in a democratic setting, and in this age and time. They remind the government that these vaccines are not even 100% guaranteed adding that even in the countries where these vaccines are manufactured, take for instance the US, the people are still resistant to these vaccines. They pointed out that the military attitude by those in government to enforce these vaccines on the people must be discarded, and berated the authorities for always violating the rights of the people with impunity under the guise of working for them.
These criticisms came in the light of recent pronouncements by the federal government and its agency, as well as some state governments threatening sanctions on those who refuse to be vaccinated.
On Tuesday, the federal government hinted that it might sanction anybody who refused to take COVID-19 vaccines after they had been made available to all Nigerians. In the same light, the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, gave the hint of possible sanctions at a press briefing in Abuja. Governors of Edo and Ondo states, Godwin Obaseki and Rotimi Akeredolu respectively announced recently of their intention to restrict and bar those who refuse to get vaccinated from public places such as the banks, churches, mosques, offices and other large gatherings.
The Nigerian Medical Association and health workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Union, JHSU, faulted the move.
While the NMA said the people had the right to reject vaccines the same way they could reject medical treatment, JOHESU stated that the move to make vaccination compulsory was senseless.
Amid these barrage of strong words from the different authorities the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday, barred the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, from enforcing compulsory COVID-19 vaccination in the state.
The NPHDA boss, Faisai Shuaib, however, insists, that those rejecting vaccines are endangering others and that the rules must apply. Shuaib hinted that the Federal Government might toe the line of the two state governments.
“Federal Government might “apply the basic rule of law” against such people, because they would be endangering the lives of others,” he said, adding that the Presidential Steering Committee and the Federal Ministry of Health are exploring ways of making vaccines more available to all Nigerians, including federal civil servants and corporate entities. “Once these vaccines are made equitably available to all Nigerians, then we will need to have a frank discussion about justice, fairness and liberty that exist around vaccine hesitancy. “If some individuals refuse to take the vaccine, hence endangering those who have or those who could not due to medical exemptions, then we have to apply the basic rule of law, which stipulates that your human right stops where mine begins. “So, you have a right to refuse vaccines, but you do not have the right to endanger the health of others.”
JOHESU maintain that mandatory vaccination is not backed by common sense. According to its spokesman, Olumide Akintoye, the policy making vaccination compulsory will only make sense if there were enough vaccines to inoculate everyone. Akintayo stated, “If you are thinking of it in terms of responsibility, it makes sense; but practically, we all know it is an impossible task. If all the doses that have been sent to Nigeria since this outbreak is less than 10 million, how do you enforce that kind of policy in a country of over 200 million people? “You don’t just come up with policies that are not backed by common sense; you don’t just say things because you want to talk. It would have made some sense if the vaccines are available for everyone.”
The General Secretary of the NMA, Philips Ekpe, said citizens could not be forced to be vaccinated against COVID-19 the same way they had the right to reject medical treatment. He said, “The Federal Government needs to make people understand the reason why they need to be vaccinated. They have the right to say no. You cannot force people. People have the right to say no to medical treatment. “But you should let them understand the dangers of not getting vaccinated. For example, if you want to travel out of the country, if you are not vaccinated, you will not be let in. The reason is because the other country you are going to won’t want to endanger the lives of its citizens.
Meanwhile, some state governments and experts, on Tuesday, differed on compulsory vaccination. For instance, the Lagos State Government, through its Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, expressed the states non-mandatory policy on its residents, but stated that their target is to vaccinate over 60% of Lagos residents. “There are over 22 million people in Lagos State; I do not know where we can get the vaccines to take care of all the people in the state. The idea of making it compulsory in my own opinion does not occur now,” he said. “What we are considering in Lagos is to vaccinate at least 60 per cent of people, who are qualified to receive the vaccine in order to achieve what the experts call herd immunity. We are expecting more vaccines to achieve this target.”
As the debate rages and the great divide between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated widens with so much uncertainty in the air, well -meaning people are calling on both sides to exercise some restraint. While the government is advised to be more responsible and endearing in their pronouncements and actions, the citizens are called upon to show more understanding and be responsive to positive changes. Threatening sanctions would only give room for illicit documentation. Government is therefore advised to tread gently on matters like this, given all the scary stuff on social media about the efficiency and efficacy of the various vaccines, and the long-term adverse effects.
Efforts should be made to assuage the fears of the citizens as to the safety of these vaccines , which many feel were hurriedly developed and put into the market following the outbreak of COVID19 in the year 2020; as well as many other misconceptions surrounding the vaccines. The anxiety for people with underlying ailments taking the vaccine ,the fear of pregnant or breast-feeding mothers, people who feel they are supposedly fit and do not need the vaccine and those anxious that the vaccine will cause infertility among other worries, should be tactically handled through enlightenment programmes.
Some medications are better taken gradually than shoved down the throat. No doubt many people would like to be treated like the intelligent adults they are on this issue and so would like to be meaningfully engaged in determining their own future. Most people would like to directly take charge of their future against the background of widespread distrust for the government. People do not believe that the government is interested in their welfare except where those in government have something to gain. Government, through its various sensitization programmes, must first strive to disabuse this mindset.