It’s unfortunate some still think COVID-19 is hoax, says Archbishop Kaigama 

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has expressed the concern over the level of doubts and disbelief among Nigerians regarding the genuineness of COVID-19.
The cleric said on daily basis, people ask him several questions regarding the pandemic demanding to know if what the Nigerian government is saying about it is true or not.
Kaigama said disbelief was responsible for the increase in confirmed cases and poor adherence of Nigerians to the safety protocols against COVID-19.
In his Homily at the St. Jude’s Catholic Church, Zuba, yesterday, Kaigama maintained that COVID-19 was real and dealing mercilessly with “unlucky people” who contract the virus.
“Lately, I have been asked all kinds of questions about the disease; whether it is real. If it’s an artificial disease created by some people to make money through the manufacturing of vaccines? Are the vaccines safe or are they a means to control population growth of Africans? Is the COVID-19 pandemic a punishment from God? Is it signalling the end of the world? Could it be that God wants to do away with present generation who engage in all forms of evil as it was in the days of Noah. When evil and wickedness multiplied?”
Kaigama said that despite the questionings, the fact remained that in recent weeks even priests and prominent individuals have succumbed to death on account of COVID-19.
“ The fear in Africa is that the menace of COVID-19 will be for a long time, and so we need to be watchful and vigilant. Many Nigerians ask if the vaccines are medically safe and whether the poor can also benefit from them, considering that even the palliatives meant for the needy ended up in the homes of a few favoured ones or were needlessly hoarded in warehouses!
“The other fear is that if it takes so much time and money to do COVID-19 test, will it be that easy for the poor to have access to the vaccine? I understand that the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) is considering increasing the polling units in Nigeria to beyond the present 119,973. Could the same polling units be used as free vaccination or face masks distribution centres? We recommend that before vaccinating Nigerians, our medical experts must ensure the vaccines have been subjected to appropriate tests for genuineness and are properly stored, to allay the fear of contamination.”