BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto –
The Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Kachere, Gombe State, Professor Umar Pate has urged both the Federal and State Governments as well as international organizations to strive towards effective community engagement as a measure towards encouraging acceptability of Covid-19 vaccines in Nigeria.
Prof Pate, who spoke while delivering a lecture on “Debunking Romours and Conspiracy Theories” at a two day media engagement dialogue on demand creation organized by the Child Rights Information Bureau of the Federal Ministry of information and Culture in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund, also advocated for the promotion of media and digital literacy amongst young people.
While stressing that media engagement must be considered very crucial to the success of Covid-19 vaccination campaign, Prof Pate, however, took a swift on media organizations in Nigeria by saying, they rarely devote money to training of their staff.
He also advised that critical stakeholders like religious and traditional leaders that command large followership, must be adequately carried along if the needed impact is to be achieved.
“We must ensure that media engament is consistent and should be at each stage. Right from the inception to the end. Engaging religious leaders will also help equip them with the right information and knowledge about certain subject matters that their followers have misconceptions about. Especially, the issue of Covid 19 vaccine”. Prof Pate advised.
On his part, Prof Mukhtar Gadanya of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital/Bayero University, Kano (BUK) debunked the misconception that Covid-19 vaccines lead to infertility.
Prof Mukhtar, who was represented by Dr Murtala Jibril, a senior lecturer in The Department of Pharmacology (BUK), added that the vaccine does not alter the DNA of anybody as ignorantly claimed by those that have misconception about the vaccine .
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