Featuring medical and legal experts on a live program for or against the Covid19 Vaccines in Nigeria last week Friday, Equity International Initiative continues this week to educate citizens on Covid 19 vaccines to help Nigerians make a quality choice. The program of April 9, 2021, featured Dr. Emeka Eze an expert in infectious disease, Barrister Ike Anyalewechi, a legal consultant, and Dr. Emmanuel Adebayo Abanida – senior technical consultant as the main speakers.
Dr Emeka and Barrister Ike spoke against vaccination, alleging that there are so many dangers attached to it; some of which are: hasty roll out, the full procedure for production of vaccines were not followed hence it cannot be said that proper study was carried out. These reasons, according to the infectious disease expert, are responsible for the serious side effects that are reported all over the world from all the vaccine variants ranging from severe fever, nervous breakdown, to death. From the legal standpoint, Barrister Ike said forcing the citizens to take the vaccines is an infringement on their freedom of choice, especially when the manufacturers of the vaccines have signed indemnification; an action he termed to be suspicious and enough to call for a moratorium on the launch of the vaccines in Nigeria.
Dr. Emmanuel Abanida however spoke in favour of vaccination, claiming that what Dr. Eze termed hasty roll-out was rather a display of the advancement in technology. He said every procedure was followed and side effects cannot be ruled out in the use of drugs. He was of the opinion that despite the fact that the outcome of the vaccination is not totally predictable, the people should trust the experts. A point to which the opposing team responded with the statistics of the tragic impact of the Polio vaccine on children in the Northern part of Nigeria, stating further that one life is too important to risk as an experiment.
