The Nigerian government has disclosed its plans to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all federal civil servants.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said this in Abuja on Thursday during a meeting of the Health Commissioners Forum with federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and health partners.
The theme of the forum is “Building a stronger health sector in Nigeria through collaboration and strategic partnership.”
The meeting was primarily to discuss ways to strengthen the health system at the sub-national levels, with an overall objective of achieving the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Mr Mustapha, who doubles as the chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC), said the COVID-19 vaccination will be compulsory for federal civil servants once vaccines are available for everyone.
“You should, in the course of this meeting, deliberate on the challenges caused by vaccine hesitancy all over the country. It is expected that you will come with policy alternatives as solutions.
“Let me state, however, that federal government shall, very shortly, unveil its decision on mandatory vaccination for every employee in its service.”
He said the country did not have sufficient vaccines at the moment and so will not institute the mandatory vaccination immediately.
“One of the reasons why we want to do that with the federal civil service is because they will be travelling on behalf of the nation.
“Assuming the American government said, you can’t come into their country unless you’re vaccinated? So you have to be vaccinated.
“It’s a sequential thing and we are taking one step at a time, because, we realize we don’t have sufficient vaccine in the country at the moment,” he said.
Nigeria has, so far, vaccinated less than three million people and has relied on donated vaccines for its citizens.
