Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has stated that he would not take the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine because he is hale and hearty and would also not subject his people to get vaccinated because they are not guinea pigs.

Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme, the Governor said there was nothing medically wrong with him and he won’t allow the people of the state to be used as “guinea pigs”.

This came after the country received about four million doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday.

Today, Friday March 5th, frontline health workers received shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo , state Governors and other government officials are also expected to receive shots of the vaccines on Saturday.

But speaking on Friday, the Kogi governor said, “COVID-19 is not our business in Kogi State. We have more pertinent issues and more pertinent matters that we are attending to in Kogi State. Insecurity we met, we’ve tackled it and several others. Disunity we met on ground and we have united Kogi State today not COVID-19.

“COVID-19 is just a minute aspect of what we are treating or handling in Kogi State; there have been outbreaks of Lassa Fever and Yellow Fever and those were handled without making noise about it.

“The last Yellow Fever (outbreak), we vaccinated out people against Yellow Fever, we encouraged them, we educated them and they felt the impact…If the Federal Government is gracious enough and give us COVID-19 vaccines, we will equally sensitise our people, people who wish to come and take can come and take but I am not going to subject the people of Kogi State to vaccines or vaccination and I will not make them the guinea pigs.”

Bello further stated that; “Mr President is the leader of this country. I respect him so high; all of us respect him so much. We love him and he is leading by example. If he needs to take the vaccines and he takes it, it is a welcome development.

“As far as I am concerned, I as a person, I don’t need to take vaccines. There is nothing wrong with me, I am hale and hearty. I am 100 per cent healthy…I won’t take any vaccine.”