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Vaccination: Nigerians Still Do Not Trust Government
One in four Nigerians don’t trust the government to save their lives. And that’s a problem.
Nigeria’s rollout of the coronavirus vaccine had begun – and almost 300,000 of us are already considerably safer as a result.
This should be grounds for national pride and renewed optimism- but 1 in 4 Nigerians don’t trust the government enough to get vaccinated.
A recent survey from the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 76% of Nigerians are willing to take the vaccine.
Almost a quarter are not.
To put that in context, there is a deadly disease which has now taken the lives of 2,800,000 people around the world, and damaged the health of at least 165,000 Nigerians. The government is offering all of us the medicine we need to stay safe and healthy – for free – but 1 in every 4 Nigerians do not want it.
One major Nigerian sporting event has already said that vaccination will be mandatory for participants – a glimpse of what we can expect to be typical in many aspects of public life in the months to come – but a quarter of Nigerians still do not want to be vaccinated.
This issue complicates a vaccine rollout programme enormous in scale – aiming to vaccinate 200,000,000 Nigerians by the end of next year – and already made extraordinarily complex by our dilapidated infrastructure and remote rural communities.
How has this happened?
Conspiracy theories do not take root anywhere. They need fertile soil to do so. And sadly this is something we have plenty of in Nigeria.
During the 1996 meningitis outbreak in Kano, six children died after taking an experimental drug created by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, with others suffering lifelong ill-health after receiving the drug. The company eventually paid $75 million to the state and relatives of children who died or were disabled during the trial.
Pfizer are one of the principle Covid-19 vaccine producers. Of course Nigerians are going to be wary – despite studies showing that the Pfizer vaccine is “100% effective and safe.”
And if Nigerians don’t trust scientists, they certainly don’t trust their government.
72% of Nigerians believe the statement “most politicians are corrupt” describes our country well – and six-in-ten say it describes Nigeria “very well”.
Only 39% of Nigerians are satisfied with the way democracy is working in our country, while 60% say they are not satisfied.
And in the era of online misinformation there are plenty of people happy to use the internet to spread half-truths and full-lies that are threatening both our health and our democracy to suit their own agendas.
The only answer is for our leaders to take advantage of the opportunities of the digital age to build trust in our political systems, one voter at a time.
Nigerian politicians do not do enough to engage online. They are happy to throw mud and promises around on social media at election times, but do far too little to meaningfully build relationships with the people who elect them.
Nigerians need to know that their leaders have their best interests at heart. At the digital democracy campaign I lead we’re giving them the tools they need to persuade them, with a free smartphone app called Rate Your Leader.
Rate Your Leader is designed to allow registered voters to directly contact their local politicians – building trust, transparency and accountability and allowing a two-way flow of information which benefits both parties, especially at times of national emergency like this, and allows them to communicate and collaborate to make their communities better.
All of this is done with the touch of a smartphone button from the comfort of the home. People trust people they know. And social media allows them to get to know their local leaders in a very productive and comprehensive manner. And our abuse-proof technology ensures that all communication is courteous and civil.
For a change, Nigerian is at least not bottom of the table when it comes to trust. One survey of neighbours like Benin, Liberia, Senegal, Niger and Togo found that citizens there are even less trusting than in Nigeria, with just 4 in 10 willing to get vaccinated.
But when 1 in 4 Nigerians does not trust the government to give them potentially life-saving medicine, we cannot pretend that urgent action is not necessary to build trust in our democracy. And that action begins online.
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner and is the creator of the free Rate Your Leader app. Follow Joel on Twitter @JOPopoola
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There’s no doubt that human beings by nature are insatiable. When we get one opportunity, we always look for another. When we attain one height, we always look for another accomplishment. Isn’t it true that the end of one mountain is the beginning of another.
However, I don’t think it’s selfish for anyone to dare to succeed.
Being ambitious doesn’t make one an opportunist or disloyal. It all depends on one’s perception or outlook to life. It’s just natural for one to dream big. It’s only ugly when the process one chooses to achieve his desires becomes dirty and nasty.
According to a former Nigerian presidential candidate and seasoned Economist, Mr. Peter Obi, “if you must be referred to as “Your Excellency”, then the process through which you arrived in office must be excellent”.
If you desire to be reckoned with on the journey of existence, you must be legitimately hungry for success. One’s hunger for success will facilitate the drive to accomplish great tasks despite daunting obstacles posing as challenges.
When one has this mindset, one will not be bothered by the noise which serves as obstacles and challenges along the way. Negative and weak minds are always concerned on why something won’t work. They tend to focus their energy and reasons on the obstacles facing them. But great and productive minds always focus their energy on the reasons why it will work. This is the spirit of an insatiable mind who is a goal- getter.
It’s instructive to note that we can’t please everyone. According to Bill Cosby, a famous actor, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.” Isn’t it true that when you talk, people will still talk about you, when you don’t talk, people will talk about you, so whether you talk or not, people will still judge you, so, do what’s best for you. There’s nothing you can do to please human beings. Your best option is to live your best life.
To understand how the insatiable nature of man works, one must be oneself. You don’t have to “please” anyone. Be yourself, and don’t try to be like anyone just to curry favour. It’s important to note that when you are yourself, the people that matter will come through for you, and the people that don’t matter will gradually find the bearing in another space because those that truly care don’t bother and those that bother don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Life has truly taught me to focus on the important things of life as opposed to the mundane things. It’s truly sad to see people spending more time on the little things of life, and spending little time on the important things of life. That’s just a misplaced priority.
When you are yourself, the best people can do is to copy or imitate your style. They can never imitate your creativity nor can take your originality from you.
We live in a world or society where people don’t generally care or show empathy. Most people tend to live around themselves, their family, and close associates. They generally find it hard to lift a finger to assist others for reasons best known to them. Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka once said, “we live in a wicked generation”, re-echoing the voices of a lot of people of the world. Some people in authority just have criminal expertise in amassing wealth of opportunities meant for the citizens without thinking of the citizens they are meant to serve.
It’s worthy of note that not everyone will like you nor support your work, but when you find people who truly care about you; please hold them tight. This is because despite having family members you have shown love and compassion, they might not still appreciate you even if you lay your life for them, they will still find something to say. Again, this is the insatiable nature of man.
It’s okay for everyone not to like you, normalize living your life for God, yourself, family and those that care about you. If everyone likes you, you have a problem.
Did you know that you can get a new family from friends, strangers, and acquaintances? These sets of people might appreciate you more than your own family members. They might not demand or under appreciate you like your family members and close friends or associates. Any little support you give them will be highly appreciated. Their focus is to see you do better.
In conclusion, as you desire to succeed in life, never give in to failure until you have made your last attempt, and never make your last attempt until you succeed. This literally means whatever you desire, dream it, think it, say it, and believe you can achieve it. This principle is generally applicable to relationships, businesses, family, personal and professional development.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design Your and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
A federal judge in the United States, on Thursday, put a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.
The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.
It comes after lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.
“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington State.
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is,” said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.
Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America’s national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.
It says, in part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Trump’s order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.
AFP
The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent businessman and hotelier, for his involvement in the murder of one Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Osun State High Court, which had sentenced Adedoyin to death.
“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court declared in part.
The Court of Appeal, however, set aside some aspects of the lower court’s orders, including the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the order for Adedoyin to pay for the education of Adegoke’s children.
Furthermore, the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to impose penalties outside the statutory provisions
Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his corpse was found at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had lodged.
The hotelier had travelled from Abuja for an examination at a distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State on November 5 of that year.
He had checked into the hotel but was reported missing after two days. However, Adegoke’s body was found days later, leading to a probe that linked his death to Adedoyin and others.
In May 2023, Adedoyin and others were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.
But dissatisfied with the judgement, Adedoyin approached the Appeal court to dismiss the sentence and conviction.
The court of appeal, on Thursday, however, upheld the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.
