Nigeria: Spiritual leader seeks answer on myth around COVID-19 vaccine, building trust and safety

“People talk of conspiracy theories that the vaccines are meant to kill us but will anyone wait to use the vaccines before they can kill us? So many drugs and products are imported into the country so if anybody wants to kill us there are one million ways to kill us."

Sa'ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto Nigeria, has called the Federal Government to bust the myths related to COVID-19 vaccines the country is expecting to receive in early February, according to a report by Premium Times.

While speaking at a Sanitisation Program for Imams and Muslim scholars on COVID-19 in Nigeria on Wednesday, Abubakar stated that doing so would help the religious and traditional leaders to accept the efficiency of the vaccine.

Facilitated by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), the program was a part of a drive ensuring the acceptance of the vaccine in the country.

Today presents a unique opportunity to interface with the Muslim Scholars and Imams in Nigeria on COVID-19 vaccine introduction plan. The NPHCDA is meeting to secure buy-in, build trust around vaccine safety and define role and responsibility. pic.twitter.com/KN4zSxX9FY

— NPHCDA (@NphcdaNG) January 27, 2021

Busting the conspiracies around the vaccine, the traditional ruler said that are several ways of killing instead of importing the COVID-19 jab.

"People talk of conspiracy theories that the vaccines are meant to kill us but will anyone wait to use the vaccines before they can kill us? So many drugs and products are imported into the country so if anybody wants to kill us there are one million ways to kill us," Abubakar said.

Focusing on the choice of free will, he said that the vaccines have not reached the country yet, but it's an opportunity to bring up the concerns related to the vaccine for a better understanding. "The vaccines are free but the decision to take the vaccine is a personal choice so you should know every information about the vaccine. We cannot force people to take the vaccine, as the decision to take or not should be a personal choice," he added.

However, Abubakar emphasized 'the luxury of knowledge' and stated that knowledge is one of the foundations of Isalm.