27th September, 2021
By Jethro Ibileke
Members of civil society organistions and students unions on Monday staged a massive protest against Edo State’s no-COVID-19 vaccination, no-entry into public places policy.
Armed with placards bearing various inscriptions, the protesters who grounded vehicular and human movement in major points in the metropolis, urged the government to share COVID-19 palliative, and not vaccine.
Some of the placards bore inscriptions like: “We need security in Edo, not vaccine; We will resist any form of executive rascality; Hunger is killing us, not COVID-19; My body is my right.”
They threatened to completely shut down the Government House, government agencies/parastatals and all corporate organistions enforcing the ‘no vaccine, no entry policies’.
The Coordinator of Freedom Ambassador Organisation, Curtis Ogbebor, while addressing journalists at the Edo NUJ Secretariat, said they were out to express their displeasure over the compulsory vaccination in the State.
He gave the governor 48 hours ultimatum to withdraw the compulsory vaccination, or they would shut down the economy of the State, stressing that there were other pressing issues such as security that the governor should give priority attention to.
He said: “We have come out today to send a warning and an advice for him to urgently withdraw that enforcement order. 48 hours after, if he refuses to withdraw that order, we will mobilise to shut down the economy of the state. We cannot fold our arms and watch the act of illegality.
“There are issues of urgent concern like security which is enshrined in the Constitution that the governor is under law to secure the lives and properties of its citizenry. But as we speak, the governor is not concerned about the security and welfare of the people.
“As we speak, no street light is working in Edo State; Benin–Auchi Road is not safe to travel on because of bandits, herdsmen.
“The governor receives N9 billion annually as security vote, but as we speak, the police stations that were razed during the #EndSARS protest, no one has been rebuilt.
“The local security apparatus that was put in place, many Edo youths are ready to sacrifice their lives to secure Edo people but the governor has refused to fund them.”
He urged the state governor to focus more on infrastructural development rather than enforcing COVID-19 vaccination on the people.
Also speaking, the National Public Relations Officer of Nigeria Students and Youth Association, Osamudiamen Ogbidi, said students in the state reject the forceful COVID-19 vaccination.
He noted that the protest was just a warning, adding that more students would be mobilised to shut down the state, if necessary.
“We are aware that banks too are making it compulsory for their staff to be vaccinated, and that they are about to enforce ‘no vaccine, no entry policy. And we are sending a warning to them that if they try it, we are going to shut down the banks,” he said.