The Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, gave the hint at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.

In Edo and Ondo States, the state governments had already announced restrictions regarding some public places that those who have not taken the COVID-19 vaccine cannot have access to.

Shuaib said the government may “apply the basic rule of law” against such people because they will be endangering the lives of other people.

He said, “the Presidential Steering Committee and the Federal Ministry of Health is exploring ways of making vaccines more available to all Nigerians including federal civil servants and corporate entities. Once these vaccines are made equitably available to all Nigerians, then we would need to have a frank discussion about justice, fairness and liberty that exist around vaccine hesistancy. If some individuals refuse to take the vaccine, hence endangering those who have or those who could not due to medical exemptions, then we have to apply the basic rule of law which stipulates that your human right stops where mine begins. So, you have a right to refuse vaccines, but you do not have the right to endanger the health of others.”

Faisal Shuaib, executive secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency who spoke at the presidential task force on COVID-19 media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, December 10, noted that Nigeria is a member of COVAX, an international coalition under the WHO umbrella. 

Shuaib said “We are on course to access safe vaccine in the first quarter of 2021. We will be leveraging on the polio platform to ensure effective delivery of vaccines to our vulnerable population.  We have established a supra-ministerial advisory committee to ensure a seamless administration. A technical group meets every week and has devised a risk communication plan to deliver safe vaccines to Nigerians.”