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 vaccine 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.
He stressed that media engagement must be considered very crucial to admissibility of Covid 19 vaccines. Prof Pate however took a swipe at the media organizations in Nigeria, saying they rarely devote money to train their staff.
Reeling out further measures by which Nigerians will easily accept the Covid 19 vaccine, Prof Pate advised that critical stakeholders like religious and traditional leaders that commands large followership must be adequately carried along if the needed impact is to be achieved.
"We must ensure that media engagement 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 of the Bayero University, Kano (BUK), debunked the misconception that Covid 19 vaccine leads to infertility.
Prof Mukhtar who was represented by Dr Murtala Jibril, a senior lecturer in the department of Pharmacology (BUK), added that the vaccine doesn't alter the DNA of anybody as ignorantly claimed by those that have misconception about the vaccine. NNL.
