The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, says COVID-19 vaccination certificate will soon become a mandatory requirement to travel anywhere in the world.
He, therefore, urged Nigerians to avail themselves to be vaccinated against the lethal virus.
Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, stated this on Saturday at the New Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He spoke shortly after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, were vaccinated against COVID-19.
After the exercise aimed at dissipating vaccine hesitancy amongst Nigerians, the Executive Secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, presented Buhari and Osinbajo with their COVID-19 vaccination certificates.
Speaking at the event, the PTF chairman said, “Today, Mr. President and the Vice-President have equally demonstrated leadership by offering themselves for the Nigerian people to believe in the safety and the efficacy of the vaccines that we have procured and is being deployed.
“Vaccine hesitancy will have to give way to the reality because the truth about it is that very soon, nobody will be able to travel the world unless you produce the certificate that you have been given. I have not confirmed this but reliably, some countries have started putting restrictions for receiving visitors, even for exercising activities of their faith, without a COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
“The word that is going out there on behalf of Mr. President is that Nigerians should make themselves available, those that are eligible in the first phase of the deployment, because the deployment is going to be in four phases, to receive these vaccines.
“They (vaccines) have been tested, our most strategic leadership have received these vaccines this morning. They are safe, they are efficacious and it is for the good and wellbeing of our people.”
Mustapha further urged Nigerians not to believe conspiracy theories and myths about the vaccines.
Nigeria commenced its vaccination against the lethal coronavirus infection on Friday after receiving about four million doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Some health workers including the first Nigerian to receive the vaccine on the country’s soil, Dr. Cyprian Ngong of the National Hospital, Abuja, had received shots of the vaccines when the exercise was flagged off by the PTF boss on Friday in Abuja.
