There was a mild drama last Friday at the Bompai Rock Mosque in Kano metropolis when healthcare officials came to the prayer ground with consignments of COVID-19 vaccines.
It was learnt that the officials had arranged with the management of the mosque to sensitise worshipers about the need to take the vaccine, and the Imam of the mosque even spoke briefly about healthcare delivery, saying authorities should also provide necessary medication for common ailments like malaria.
He thereafter took the jab to exemplify that it was safe and good.
But the congregation was not impressed, as they trooped out of the mosque immediately the mandatory Friday ritual was completed, leaving the healthcare officials standing in lines with the COVID vaccines on their tables without anyone to take them.
Our reporter was told that it had been arranged to give the jabs and to certify those who took them at the mosque as a way of bringing the vaccination process closer to the people.
An official said it was an experiment their superiors thought would yield positive results and gain acceptability.
Worshipers lamented that COVID-19 was not their immediate problem and said government in Nigeria should be more concerned with what the populace need.
A visibly angry commercial tricycle rider who identified himself simply as Ado said “who wants any vaccine. That’s surely not what we need now. It has become so difficult for us to feed our families. Daily basic needs could not be met, and they keep nagging us with some COVID vaccine. Let them take it if they want, but we don’t want.”
Many others simply walked pass the health workers without even looking at their direction, a clear indication of their opposition to the vaccination arrangement.
