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Former representative of Kogi West in the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye, has said the Kogi State Government must take COVID-19 vaccine since the state collected palliatives and money from the Federal Government to ease the effect of the pandemic on its residents.
The state governor, Yahaya Bello, has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the severity of the infection.
He has played down its complications, refusing to wear a face mask except when meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) had said all states and the Federal Capital Territory have received supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine except Kogi State.
According to the agency, the state was yet to receive “due to the non-repair of their cold-chain store coupled with the state’s concerns around the contradictory information about the vaccines.”
Bello also recently said COVID-19 is not an issue in his state, adding that he will not subject the people to vaccination.
But in a tweet late Sunday evening, Melaye asked why the state government collected palliatives for a disease it said was non-existent in the state.
Also, Senator Smart Adeyemi, the leader of Kogi Lawmakers’ Forum in the National Assembly, said lawmakers from the state have not reached a decision on whether to take the vaccine or not.