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CITAD Decries Non Payment Of Covid Vaccine Administrators

Published

4 years ago

on

Abbas Yushau Yusuf

 

The centre for information technology and development has decried non payment of Covid 19 vaccine to Administrators.

Hamza Ibrahim,Project Manager,Public Education Vaccine Project Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) stated this while addressing Journalists at the Headquarters of CITAD in Kano.

According to Hamza Ibrahim the centre implemented the Public Education on COVID Vaccine project.

He pointed out that the project which is supported by MacArthur Foundation is aimed to educating and enlightening the public on the role and relevance of COVID vaccine.

He noted that they work with 18 partners across six northern states, namely: Bauchi, Borno, Kano, Kaduna, Kogi and Plateau.

Hamza Ibrahim asserts that COVID outbreak is no doubt one of the pandemics the world has witnessed recently where Deaths have been recorded in towns and villages, movements have been restricted, lockdowns imposed, gatherings banned, and people have really felt the consequences of the pandemic greatly, these measures were laudably taken to address the pandemic.

“Therefore standing against COVID should not be the role of governments at different levels, civil society or private sector-led initiatives, rather the larger members of the society have a crucial role to play.

Efforts no matter how carefully tailored cannot alone succeed in addressing the virus if members of the society do not support and cooperate with the initiatives, taking the vaccine is surely one way to prevent ourselves from the virus.

COVID Vaccine Administration Situation from States
The data we at CITAD gathered from researches and engagements conducted by our 18 partners across six states of the north has given us a broader perspective on the hindrances and challenges of the COVID vaccination in those states. The hindrances and challenges differ from state to state as can be seen below”

 

The project manager public education further cited example with Borno state where there are 87 vaccination spots across the 27 local governments of the state but said the main challenge of getting as people as possible vaccinated are as follows,lack of COVID certificate seal or barcode in 70% of the vaccination spots , Nonpayment of COVID vaccine administrators , Misconception on vaccine amongst government officials,lack of sufficient information on where and how to be vaccinated .

Hamza added that the above problems are creating serious hindrances to COVID vaccine administration in the state.

He said established partners that more than 70% of the vaccination centres had ran out of seal to place on the vaccine certificates of the vaccinated people.

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” We therefore appeal to Borno state government to immediately access the seals for smooth vaccination exercise to take place in the state. Another critical challenge is in the area of nonpayment of the health workers involved in the vaccine administration. Lack of that motivation has further made some of the staff to be completely absent at the vaccination spots or close before time. This situation has made people who want to be vaccinated not to access the vaccine. There are also misconceptions and conspiracy theories around the vaccine that some government officials in the state have which has also been a serious problem to getting people vaccinated, this has not only demoralized many people, but it has also reinforced their disbelief and rejection of the vaccine”

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In Plateau state, while there is information on where and how people can get vaccinated, the major hindrances are however stated as follows

Fear of Future of Consequences of the Vaccine
, Conspiracy Theories of Opinion Leaders
While there is information on vaccination spots in the state, the major challenge as found by our partners in the state is the fear that many people have on the vaccine, believing that it has future consequences on the people that accept the vaccine.

Hamza noted that the rumour circulating on the vaccine remains a critical hindrance and to complement the earlier negative narrative, some opinion leaders in the state hold strong negative views about the virus and its vaccination, that is a major problem to getting more people accept the vaccine despite considerable information flow on accessing the vaccine.

CITAD therefore urge the state government to look into that and address those problems.

 

For Kogi state Hamza said more people are accepting the vaccine and that is largely due to role of elites, federal and state civil servants in accepting the vaccine.

Coming to Kano state Hamza said findings indicate that teachers in Tsangaya schools reject the vaccine because according to them their numerous problems have been left unattended to and unaddressed as well.

Some of them feel the vaccine is not as important as other critical problems they have which is also a major hindrance.

 

It is unfortunate that despite the difficult moment COVID has pushed people into, vaccination against the virus in the country is still very low.

 

CITAD therefore recommend the following steps to be adopted

1. As a matter of urgency we appeal to all unvaccinated Nigerians to quickly go and take the vaccine.
2. We urge stakeholders and opinion leaders in Plateau state to work together to address misconception theories on COVID and its vaccination as well as enlighten the public on the relevance of the vaccine.
3. We urge authorities in Borno state to ensure the provision of sufficient seals to the vaccination spots and motivate vaccination staff by paying their allowances
4. We urge people to disregard fake narratives around the vaccine as the narratives were not scientifically proven. Reputable health agencies have confirmed the efficiency of the vaccine as such people should disregard the rumours
5. Health authorities in various states should prioritize information sharing on how and where people can get the vaccine.
6. To this end we would like to strongly appeal to traditional and religious leaders, the media, community associations and opinion leaders in the society to join us in the campaign to enlighten people on the relevance of the vaccine and taking it.
7. We want traditional leaders to use their chain of leadership to emphasize the role of the vaccine and taking it, we equally want religious leaders to sensitize their members and followers in various fora on taking the vaccine.
8. We want to urge all and sundry in the society to corporate with authorities in their quest to curbing the spread of the virus by adhering to all measures being put in place.
9. COVID is not over yet, therefore measures such as putting on face masks and avoiding crowd or maintaining social distancing where necessary should still be observed.
10. If you are not vaccinated, quickly and get vaccinated!

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Rivers APC Chapter Rejects Moves to Impeach Fubara

Published

13 hours ago

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January 8, 2026

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

 

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has formally rejected ongoing moves to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, warning that such action would destabilise the state and damage the party’s image.

Nigerian Tracker News earlier reported that the political crisis rocking Rivers State deepened on Thursday as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Oduh.

The move followed a plenary session presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, during which the Majority Leader, Major Jack, read a notice of allegations and claims of gross misconduct levelled against the governor.

No fewer than 26 lawmakers were said to have signed the notice, which the legislators alleged was in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.

Amaewhule announced that the notice would be served on Governor Fubara within the next seven days, in accordance with legislative procedure.

Similarly, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Linda Stewart, read out a separate notice of allegations and gross misconduct against Deputy Governor Ngozi Oduh.

In a press statement issued on Thursday and signed by the Rivers APC spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, the party said its leadership had taken note of the “unfortunate developments” emanating from the Rivers State House of Assembly.

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While acknowledging the constitutional independence of the legislature and its role in checks and balances, the APC said it could not support an impeachment process against a governor elected on its platform.

“Our position as of today on this matter is that we solemnly reject the resort to an impeachment process against our Governor and his deputy,” the statement read.

The party warned against allowing internal disputes associated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to spill into the APC, describing such a development as unacceptable.

Addressing claims that the impeachment threat is linked to budgetary issues, the APC recalled that during the period of emergency rule, a budget of ₦1.485 trillion was transmitted to the National Assembly by the President in May 2025 and subsequently approved by the Senate on June 25, 2025, and the House of Representatives on July 22, 2025.

According to the statement, the budget was designed to run for one year until August 2026, noting that the governor is not constitutionally compelled to present a supplementary budget if he is satisfied with the existing appropriation.

The party also cited constitutional provisions allowing a governor to spend for up to six months into a new fiscal year.

The APC leadership therefore urged members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, particularly its lawmakers, to resist what it described as “pressures from outside the Assembly chambers” aimed at destabilising the government.

“We will do everything possible to ensure that the Government of Rivers State, which is an APC government, is not destabilised through fratricidal disagreements,” the statement added.

The party called on the lawmakers to immediately discontinue the impeachment process, warning that proceeding with it could tarnish the APC’s image and undermine governance and development in the state.

“Let our state remain a democracy and not a politicocracy,” the statement noted.

The latest development comes amid the lingering political rift between Governor Fubara and his predecessor and political benefactor, Nyesom Wike, which has continued to polarise the state’s political structure.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) had stated that Wike would “certainly be under” his successor, Fubara, should he decide to join the party, underscoring that leadership positions are tied to current office.

The APC Director of Information, Bala Ibrahim, made the comments during an interview on Trust TV.

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How Fubara engaged social media influencers to tarnish image of FCT Minister, Wike -Group reveals

Published

17 hours ago

on

January 8, 2026

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Concerned Rivers People, CRP has revealed how Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara engaged social media influencers to tarnish image of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by the CRP’s Director of Communication, Robinson Uke where he stated that:

“Bloggers engaged by public officials to influence politics in Nigeria has become the norm as we are aware of deliberate moves by Fubara to denigrate the hardworking FCT minister before Mr President.

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“This obviously will not fly as we are also aware that some bloggers equally turned down mouth watering offers declaring that the minister has not in any way attacked the Rivers Governor either directly or indirectly.

Uke explained that: “All the FCT minister has said is that an agreement is an agreement, Fubara should swallow his pride and respect the agreement.

“This he has not done yet he is lavishing hard earned tax payers money of the state on social media influencers across the country without an Appropriation Act to back his spending.

“This development raises ethical concerns, as it undermines transparency and accountability in governance.

” The Nigerian government has responded by demanding approval for sponsored posts, citing concerns over misinformation and manipulation.

“We want to specially thank those bloggers who are standing by the truth and refused to be used by the drowning Fubara who has betrayal flowing in his DNA.

“To Fubara we wish him the best of luck in his political sojourn as an African proverb says a child who refuses to allow his mother to sleep, the child too will not sleep.

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JUST-IN: Rivers Assembly Initiates Impeachment Proceedings Against Fubara

Published

17 hours ago

on

January 8, 2026

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Rivers State House of Assembly has begun impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Oduh.

During plenary presided over by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, according to a live broadcast on Channels Television on Thursday, the Majority Leader, Major Jack, read out the notice of allegations and gross misconduct against Fubara.

“The governor does not even want to present any budget, because if he wanted to, he would have brought it all this while. Siminalayi Fubara is a mistake. Rivers state has never had it this bad,” the Speaker said.

Twenty-six members of the Rivers State House of Assembly signed the notice, which they alleged was against the Nigerian Constitution.

Amaewhule said the notice will be served to Fubara in the next seven days.

The Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Linda Stewart, also read out the notice of allegations and gross misconduct against Oduh.

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Relying on Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution, Jack reeled out seven points of alleged gross misconduct against Fubara.

Some of the accusations include the demolition of the Assembly Complex, extra budgetary spending, withholding funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission, and refusal to obey the Supreme Court on the financial autonomy of the house.

After Jack laid his notice before the Speaker, who said the notice would be served to the governor in seven days, the deputy leader, Linda Stewart, also brought forward a notice of gross misconduct against Odu.

According to the report, some of the allegations against Odu included reckless and unconstitutional spending of public funds, obstruction of the House of Assembly from performing its constitutional duties as outlined by the 1999 Constitution, conniving to allow unauthorised persons to occupy offices without proper screening by the legitimate House of Assembly.

“Siminalayi Fubara and Ngozi Odu are nothing but a threat to our nascent democracy. If they are allowed to remain in office, I do not know what will become of our democracy. They are moving about from place to place, spending taxpayers’ money without approval,” the Speaker added.

Other allegations were that she approached another group of people for budgetary approval instead of the legitimate Rivers State House of Assembly, seizure of salaries and allowances accruing to the RSHA and the Rivers State Assembly Service Commission.

The move is the second attempt by the lawmakers to impeach Fubara and his deputy, following a similar one in March 2025.

In the notice signed by 26 members of the Rivers Assembly at that time, the lawmakers accused Fubara and Odu of gross misconduct after the governor fell out with the immediate governor of the state, Nyesom Wike.

Following escalating tensions in the oil-rich state, President Bola Tinubu intervened and declared a state of emergency.

The president suspended Fubara, his deputy and the Rivers Assembly and said the development is “required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

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