Going by the efforts of the Federal Government and those of the numerous international non-governmental organisations, poliomyelitis would have long been wiped away from Nigeria many decades before it was achieved.
But the myths and controversies that surrounded it, particularly in the Northern part of the country, prolonged its existence in Nigeria.
August last year, Africa was declared polio-free (zero cases of the wild poliovirus). Nigeria was the last polio-endemic country in Africa and was officially certified free from polio after marking three consecutive years since the last case of wild polio had been identified.
For many years, a number of international organisations, including Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and various aid agencies including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, had collaborated to provide support toward the eradication of polio in Nigeria.
The virus, poliomyelitis, attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis in children within hours of infection.
In February 2013, some gunmen shot dead several health workers linked to polio vaccination efforts in Kano State. Prior to the shooting, some regional Moslem and political leaders had spread the view that the poliomyelitis vaccine could affect infidelity.
Recall also that members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram had also spread numerous misinformations against the preventive measure.
There were reports in those days that many Moslem men prevented their children from receiving the polio vaccine on account of the false information they had been fed with.
Today, it is not just about Moslems that are skeptical about the vaccines; members of other religion are not willing to submit themselves.
With the myths and controversy surrounding the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the vaccine, many people have expressed their views that they may not be willing to accept the vaccine.
A recent Covid-19 vaccine perceptions survey conducted by Africa CDC shows that 60 percent believe the vaccine is unsafe.
Of all the reasons given by respondents on why they are not willing to take a new Covid-19 vaccine, the following ranked the highest. “I do not believe that the virus exists”; “I am concerned about the safety of the vaccine”, and “I do not have sufficient information to make a decision.”
There seems to be a huge threat to the hope that the arrival of the vaccines was all that the country needed to get over the Coronavirus pandemic.
Apart from the fact that vaccination exercises in Nigeria have often met with challenges in the past, the high level of mistrust in government is another challenge.
But while those were unfounded allegations, observers doubt the likelihood of armed men disrupting the Covid-19 vaccination exercise in the country, as many Nigerians including the armed men, believe that Covid-19 is ‘rich man’ sickness, with vaccination centres in secured places, where the rich can be comfortable.
That explains why many Nigeria will show apathy to the current exercise even when it is for their welfare, hence the vaccination may not be easy in the country.
According to observers, instead of armed men disrupting the exercise this time, the country will witness paid workers reaching out to the masses to encourage them to go for vaccination because Nigeria plans to vaccinate 40 percent of its citizens against Covid-19 before the end of 2021, and 70 percent by the end of 2022.
It would be recalled that last week, President Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osibajo, the vice president, led the vaccination parade, and urged Nigerians to present themselves for the vaccination, which is free.
As expected, many people are responding to the presidential call for vaccination, but they are elite members of society, top corporate executives and high-profile personalities, who are few in number.
The worry for observers is that the majority of Nigerians, who fall in the class ‘masses’, will not go for the vaccination even if it is brought to their doorstep, hence the fear that the apathy could jeopardise the intentions of the exercise.
But, why apathy?
Adeleye Solomon Bakarey, senior lecturer/research fellow (Virology), Institute For Advanced Medical Research & Training (IAMRAT), College of Medicine, University College Hospital, University of Ibadan, noted that lack of a coherent plan by government on the vaccination exercise is a big problem, and it is making Nigerians skeptical about the vaccines.
“Many countries, including some African neighbours, have rolled out distribution plans for the vaccines they have procured. But Nigerian government is yet to unveil a coherent plan,” he complained on the conversation.com.
“In my view, this means that the government is not sincere about making sure there is equitable distribution. The consequence is that people will have doubts about the efficacy of its efforts, as well as, the vaccine. They might therefore, be reluctant to show interest when the vaccines are made available”.
Tolani Olumide, a pediatric doctor with the National Hospital Abuja, noted that in history mass vaccinations have always been opposed by the human society on suspicion that there is a hidden agenda, even when the exercise is yielding the expected result.
“We expect huge apathy to the vaccination exercise because many people who think Covid-19 pandemic is rich people’s sickness are still standing their ground that it is rich people’s vaccination,” she said.
She explained that the government needs to create awareness on the need for the vaccination because many who went for the Covid-19 test were mainly intending travellers and supposedly members of the elite.
“Many poor people who had Covid-19 symptoms did not go for tests even when it was free because they do not believe the virus is true and if it is true, it is for ‘big men’. A lot of them recovered, some were asymptomatic and hence still believe the virus is not for them. We need to convince them to go for vaccination,” she insisted.
For Magnus Onunwa, an Abuja-based humanitarian worker, it will be difficult convincing many Nigerians, even some rich folks to go for the vaccination because they do not see the need when the cases are falling.
“My neighbour was arguing that the virus is going and that there is no need for the vaccination. He said that Covid-19 came and will go when it has killed people and suffered the world enough. Many have even worse views on the virus and vaccination,” he said.
Speaking from a professional perspective, Pascal Emordi, a consultant physician at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos, said that apathy is welcome for now and that even medical doctors are expressing apathy on the vaccination.
“People want to see the reaction of the vaccines on those vaccinated already before submitting for the exercise. Mr. President and his Vice have both been vaccinated, so the curious minds are keeping their ears on the ground and eyes open for the likely adverse effect of the vaccines. In a few weeks, when they confirm there is no adverse effect, many will throng vaccination centres,” the consultant said.
Beyond waiting to confirm the adverse effects of the vaccines, the experienced doctor, decried that the poverty in the land is increasing everyday and that many want food and not vaccines.
“With the harsh economic realities, many people are down and do not fear any fall again. It will be difficult to convince a hungry person to go for vaccination unless you are using food or money to entice him or her,” he said.
He also thinks that using religious leaders to convince their followers will not work as many religious leaders still do not believe in the virus and may not encourage their members to go for vaccination.
“Some followers do not believe in their leaders like before because of a presumed lackadaisical attitude of their leaders to government inactions and policies against the masses. So, convincing them will be difficult, as well, it will be very easy if the leaders are pro-followers,” he further said.
Worst still, some people who have been vaccinated in Europe are manifesting some adverse effects already, especially blood clothing.
With the adverse effect, Norway and Denmark have suspended Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, and the development is giving grave concerns to many on the safety of the vaccines even in Nigeria.
“Many Nigerians do not know how potent the newly procured AstraZeneca vaccine is. Some are also bothered about the speed with which things have been done from testing to manufacturing, yet the government has not said anything on compensation for people who develop side effects after the vaccination”, Onunwa said.
Beyond the unconfirmed side effect, most of the observers insisted that the government will have to work hard if it’s going to win people’s trust and also to address the apathy.
Speaking in a monitored television programme Friday, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, said the trust quotient in government was very low, as anything that comes from government now appears untrustworthy.
Referring to the Africa CDC Covid-19 vaccine perceptions survey in which only 18 percent of the respondents trusted government on Covid-19 vaccine, Na’Abba said” “Once trust is lost, the basis of governance is also lost.”
Na’Abba, who also is the co-founder, National Consultative front, believes that the state has lost confidence in itself.
According to him, “If people have been living under a condition that is very terrible; politics taken away from the people; political parties taken away from the people, and except one becomes a sycophant one cannot cross to the next level; the level of suffering, unemployment- all these have destroyed the faith of people in government. It is not enough for anybody to say I am not corrupt; I mean well, and all that; the state has also lost confidence in itself. That is where we are now.”
For Nigeria to have a successful vaccination outing at the end of the day, there is the need to continue the sensitisation of Nigerians to ensure that the myths and controversies surrounding the pandemic and the vaccine are dispelled.
