Yahaya Bello: I don’t need vaccine — COVID-19 not our business in Kogi

Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi, says COVID-19 is not the business of people in his state, adding that they have “more pertinent” issues to tackle. 

Bello stated this on Friday, when he featured on ‘Politics Today’, a Channels Television programme.

The governor, who has repeatedly denied the existence of the virus in his state, said COVID-19 is the “minute aspect” of what the state is currently addressing, adding that Kogi is tackling diseases like Yellow Fever and Lassa Fever, without much noise about its efforts.

“COVID-19 is not our business in Kogi state. We have more prominent issues, more pertinent issues, more serious matters that we are attending to in Kogi state,” he said.

“Insecurity that we met, we’ve tackled it and several others. Disunity, we met it on ground and we have united Kogi state, not COVID-19.

“COVID-19 is just a minute aspect of what we’re treating in Kogi state or handling in Kogi state. There have been outbreaks of Lassa Fever, Yellow Fever — those we handled without making noise about it.”

He noted that if the federal government makes vaccine available to the state, he will ensure that those who want it get vaccinated.

“If the federal government is gracious enough and gives us COVID-19 vaccine, we will equally sensitise our people, who wish to take it to come forward and take the vaccine,” he said.

“But I’m not going to subject the people of Kogi state to vaccination, or I will not make them guinea pigs.”

When asked if he is going to take the vaccine publicly like his counterparts, he said: “I don’t need the vaccine; nothing is wrong with me. I’m hale and hearty — 100 percent hearty.”