COVID-19: Civil society, students ground Edo over Obaseki’s mandatory vaccination

Civil society organisations and students unions on Monday led hundreds of thousands of protesters to several streets of Benin City and other cities of Edo State to agitate against the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination imposed on residents of the state by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The mass action of the various groups and other discontent residents crippled economic and commercial activities in the state, obstructing vehicular traffic on major roads and forcing several shops and markets to be shut down.

The protesters demanded for security of lives and property in the state, medical rights, noting that their needs are vaccines. They also urged Governor Obaseki to obey court orders, threatening to resist executive lawlessness in Edo State.

The protesters, accordingly, displayed placards conveying their grievances, some of which had the messages: “We need security in Edo, not vaccine”; “We will resist any form of executive rascality”; “Hunger is killing us, not COVID-19”; “Obaseki obey court order”; “My body is my right”; “Share COVID-19 palliative”.

The protesters further cautioned the state government against allowing them to extend to anger to shutting down the Government House, agencies and parastatals government, including corporate organisations implementing the mandatory policy of “no vaccine, no entry”. They maintained that the Monday mass action was merely a warning  of what is to come.

The Coordinator of the Freedom Ambassador Organisation, Curtis Ogbebor, at the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council, emphasized that the protesters were prepared to resist the compulsory COVID vaccination imposed on residents of Edo State by Governor Obaseki. Comrade Curtis Ogbebor declared that COVID vaccine is not the pressing need of the people, telling Governor Obaseki to consider security, employment generation, better welfare of workers, development of infrastructures, as major priorities of his administration, not COVID-19 vaccination.

“We have come out today to send a warning and advice for him to urgently withdraw that enforcement order.

“If he refuses to withdraw that order in 48 hours, we will mobilise to shut down the economy of the state. We cannot fold our arms and watch the act of illegality happen in our state.

“There are issues of urgent concern like security which is enshrined in the constitution that the governor is under the law to secure the lives and properties of its citizenry.

“But as we speak, the governor is not concern about the security and welfare of the people.

“As of now, no streetlight is working in Edo State; Benin-Auchi Road is not safe to travel on because of bandits, herdsmen, and other criminal elements,” Ogbebor declared.

The National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Students and Youth Association in Edo, Osamudiamen Ogbidi, also declared the rejection of the mandatory vaccination by students in Edo State. Ogbidi maintained that all the youths in Edo State have rejected the mandatory vaccination imposed on residents by Governor Obaseki. He challenged the governor to concentrate on the welfare of the people.