The leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, on Monday, October 25, 2021, rejected the Federal Government planned enforcement of COVID-19 vaccination on workers and Nigerians.
Ayuba Wabba, the NLC President, expressed Labour’s position on the matter while unveiling the COVID-19 vaccination Advisory for the Federal Civil Servants in Abuja.
Recall that the federal government had hinted it would enforce COVID-19 vaccination on its workers effective, December 1.
But reacting to the suggestion, Wabba tasked the government to appeal to the people to uptake the vaccine rather than force them.
” I urge workers all over the world to take advantage of the COVID-19 vaccines and keep themselves, their families, and their colleagues at work safe and free from the morbid threats of the Corona pandemic.
“We urge the government and other employers of labour to make special arrangements for workers to access the vaccine at the workplace.
“We urge that the tool of persuasion and conviction be used rather than force to get workers and the general populace to take the vaccine.”
Wabba also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had brought some of the biggest strains, stress, and squeeze to the workplace, insisting that thousands of workers had died from the virus.
He said the biggest lesson of the pandemic was that amidst the worst crisis, the human race could rise to the challenge with great resourcefulness and resilience.
The NLC president said apart from accelerated scientific efforts at understanding the epidemiology of the virus, science had raised the bar a little higher with the breakthrough discovery of a vaccine for COVID-19, which had helped reduce the death rate and hospital admissions.
He said, “There was also a 63 percent drop in hospital admissions post-vaccination and 66 percent drop in mortality for those aged 18 – 49 after the vaccination.
“I understand some people prefer to view COVID-19 vaccination with caution. Yes, it’s important to proceed on issues of public health with great caution.
“Yet, it would be foolhardy to elevate caution above scientific evidence and facts from public health records.”
