The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Mohammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has said he will not force any Muslim in the country to take the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Abubakar made this known during a meeting with members of the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja on Friday.
The President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) said the council has endorsed the vaccine but it will not mandate anyone to take the jab.
The monarch said he decided to support the vaccination program to show Nigerians that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is effective.
In his remarks, Mustapha who is also the Chairman of the PTF on COVID-19, announced that the task force was working to begin vaccination of religious and traditional leaders.
He explained that this was aimed at boosting the confidence of the public and commended the Muslim scholars and imams for their support to the government in the management of the virus.
Ehanire, on his part, reiterated that the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe and those who have already been vaccinated, including himself, have yet to report any side effects.
According to him, the involvement of religious leaders is to speed up the administration of the vaccines, considering the impact of the disease on the Nigerian population.
