Top religious leaders at the sensitization on safety COVID-19 vaccine.
Collins Arinze, Lafia
The Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA and International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), has sensitised religious leaders in Nasarawa state on the safety of COVID – 19 vaccine.
IDFP is a national independent interfaith dialogue platform comprising high level Christian and Islamic leaders across all sections of Nigeria, and led by their Eminences; the Sultan of Sokoto, Alh. Muhammadu Sa’ad – Abubakar, JNI President and Dr Samson Olasupo – Ayokunle, CAN President.
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Mrs Lantana Abdullahi, IDFP Project Officer, while speaking with the newsmen in Lafia, said they were in Lafia to sensitise religious leaders on the efficacy and safety of the COVID – 19 vaccine.
According to the Project Officer, Ten States were chosen for the sensitisation programme of IDFP on the efficacy and safety of COVID -19.
She noted that some of the states were chosen due to their poor performance regarding acceptance of the COVID – 19 vaccine.
Mrs Abdullahi said , IDFP, as an interfaith organisation created opportunity to engage with the religious leaders to sensitise and educate them on the safety of the vaccine so that they could in turn educate their followers.
She added that the only way to eradicate COVID – 19 from the shore of Nigeria was through vaccination.
She noted that IDFP was happy to collaborate with NPHCDA, both at Federal and the State to answer some of the questions bothering on the safety of the vaccine.
“I believe, that the way people have responded, it shows that they are willing and ready to accept the vaccine, most importantly, one of the key outcome, is to recognise where COVID -19 centres are, and where people can access this vaccine,” she said.
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On his part, Abubakar Ibrahim, Director Social Mobilisation in the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, said the essence of the sensitisation was to debunk the rumour making around on the efficacy of COVID – 19 vaccine.
“The choice of religious leaders become necessary because they are highly revered by their subjects, that is why we are engaging them so that they can also inform their subjects about the efficacy of this vaccine,” he said.
The representatives of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’ atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Very Rev.Obed Musa and Mohammed Ali, commended the IDFP for organising the sensitisation on the safety of COVID – 19 vaccine.
They concluded by calling on their members to take advantage of the opportunity to be vaccinated.
