POLITICISATION OF COVID-19 VACCINES

Gbajabiamila’s timely warning on the vaccines is in order, writes Bade Omolade

For fifth columnists, nothing is too sacred to be trivialized on the altar of politics and other selfish interests. The greatest asset of man, Life, is not spared by agents of disinformation and destabilization.

The Coronavirus pandemic that ravaged the entire mankind for the better parts of 2020 and still wreaking havoc opened the floodgates of conspiracy theories that are largely mischievous or borne out of sincere ignorance.

Religious pundits spin viral theory of powerful individuals in the world wanting to control the human race through emplacement of chips, humans to control them and manipulate them at will. They tagged it, ‘digital identity’.

A popular televangelist with a staggering global followerships postulated that the experimentation and deployment of 5G network technology triggered the plague. He created a classical case of contradictory paradox. The cleric that launched the assault on technology essentially depends on the internet and broadcast technology for mass reach.

On the political turf, Governor of Kogi State, Yahya Bello and Ben Ayade of Cross River State were also vocally downplaying the scourge and living in self-denial. The former even got hysterical when he chased out officials of the Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) insisting against all scientific facts that there was no single case of COVID-19 in Kogi that is bordered by many states.

So, the patriotic call by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila warning against attempts to infuse dirty politics into the rollout of vaccines for Nigerians was apt and highly commendable. Those who sneered and doubted the existence of COVID-19 despite hundreds of painful deaths globally are also on overdrive to dissuade and misinform Nigerians on vaccines.

Yahya Bello is a lead culprit in this case. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should act fast before the Kogi governor drowns the ship of the federal government. Last June, he was reported to have said, “Nothing kills faster than fear. COVID-19 is only out to create fear, panic, pandemic. It is a disease created to shorten the lifespan of the people. It is a disease propagated by force for Nigerians to accept.

So, it is important for all of us to come together as a country to fight the pandemic. As I have often said, we are actually in a war, but in a war with an unseen enemy. Therefore, when a country goes to war, you go as one. I want to implore the journalists and implore all Nigerians, therefore, not to give in to conspiracy theories because we will hear them.

The galvanization of Nigerian public by Gbajabiamila for the vaccines is the latest in the series of his interventions, advocacy and support since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The speaker stood firm and ensured that frontline health workers who are combating the plague got their entitlements. He put the Health Minister on the spot for the sake of Nigerian doctors and other health workers.

To ensure full compliance with the sit-at-home order during the lockdown, Gbajabiamila pushed for two-months free electricity for Nigerians as a form of relief to the poor masses. He argued that succour must be provided at all costs for millions grappling with socio-economic needs which were further worsened by the pandemic.

“We must not play politics with vaccines; we must not play politics with the health of our neighbour; we must be on the same page whilst we also correct and do what you need to do in terms of your role in checking the government and holding their feet to the fire.”