The Federal Government, on Wednesday, commenced enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate with security agencies preventing unvaccinated civil servants from accessing their offices at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja.
This coming amidst apprehension that the country on Wednesday reported three cases of the new Omicron variant of the COVID-19.
Tribune Online, however, observed that the strict enforcement was only at the Head of Civil Service of Federation Wing of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja, where officers of Nigerian Police Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence (NSCDC) were deployed to No-Vaccination-Card No-Entry order.
At Phase I and Phase II of the Federal Secretariat, Housing Ministry of Education and former Office of the Secretary to the Goverment of the Federation respectively, no enforcement was noticed as both staff and visitors were seen entering and coming of the offices without restriction.
The situation was different at the HOS complex as workers and the general public who failed to provide proof of vaccination or negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) at the entrance gate to the Head of Service building were turned back with many civil servants accusing the government of discriminatory enforcement of compulsory vaccination.
Ahead of the directive by the Federal Government that officers in the public service on Grade Level 12 and below to resume duties on Wednesday, 1st December 2021, the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 had insisted that civil servants without proof of vaccination and negative PCR tests would not be allowed to access government buildings from December 1, 2021.
Secretary to the Goverment of the Federation and Chairman Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, reinforced the directive on Monday during the national briefing of the committee.
While many civil servants thronged the various vaccination centres provided at the Federal Secretariat to get their jabs, some recalcitrant workers told Tribune Online that they would not present themselves for vaccination because of various myths surrounding the vaccines.
One of the workers told Tribune Online pointedly that he was not losing anything but the Federal Government if he was not allowed to do his work by the same goverment that gave him employment.
He said: “There are so many things about these COVID-19 vaccines. If the same Goverment that gives us employment is saying we should come to work, I’m not losing anything but the Goverment. I will present myself for the vaccination even if the deadline is extended.”
Some others who spoke with Tribune Online accused the Federal Government of discriminatory enforcement, saying Goverment chose to compel only civil servants to vaccinate while the same is not enforced in the military and paramilitary agencies, and other segments of the public service.
National President of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Dr Tommy Okon, however, told Tribune Online that the workers were not aversed to vaccination but asked the Goverment to extend the deadline to the First Quarter of 2022.
He noted that the workers of Grade Levels 12 down were just asked by the Government to resume and many others who are yet to be vaccinated should be given time to take their vaccines while observing other preventive measures.
He said: “We are not against the policy of compulsory vaccination of workers because every worker is a productive worker. It is also good for our members because except you live, you cannot work and if you cannot work you cannot be productive, so we are not against it.
“What we are against is the timing. If directive comes from the Office of the Head of Service that workers of Grade Level 12 and below should resume on December 1, with the proof of vaccination and all of a sudden today, you restrict their entrance into their offices because they have not been able to produce it.
“Let me also say that the vaccine is two-fold, the first jab and the second completion jab. It, therefore, means that when you have taken the first jab, you have to wait for a month for the second dose and this directive came not up to a month and you are subjecting your workers to this medical trauma,” Okon said.
He, however, appealed to the Federal Government to extend the deadline to the first quarter of next year for every worker to be on their toes to meet the deadline, insisting that the December 1 deadline was too short for implementation.
When contacted Dr Muktar Muhammad, Technical Head, Presidential Steering Committee (PSC), said there was no plan to extend the deadline for the vaccine mandate as approved by the President.
Recall that the Federal Government had directed officers in the public service on Grade Level 12 and below to resume duties on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.
Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, gave the directive in circular to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) issued on Friday, November 26, 2021.
She had also disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the the vaccine mandate policy, making it mandatory for all Federal Government employees to show proof of COVID – 19 vaccination or present a negative COVID 19 PCR test result done within 72 hours before allowed into their offices.
She recalled that as part of the measures to curtail the spread of COVID – 19 Pandemic, Officers on GL 12 and below were directed to work from home.
The circular read in part: “Following the advice of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVD – 19. this category of Officers are expected to resume duties on Wednesday, 19 December 2021.
“Furthermore, in line with the recommendation of the Committee on COVD-19, M. President has approved the vaccine mandate policy.
“All Federal Government employees would therefore be required to show proof of COVID – 19 vaccination or present a negative COVID 19 PCR test result done within 72 hours.
“All public officers who are yet to be vaccinated are advised to visit the following centres: Federal Staff Clinic, Federal Secretariat Complex. Phase 1, Federal Staff Clinic. Feceral Secretariat Complex. Phase II, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Clinic, Mabushi, Federal Ministry of Finance Staff Clinic, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development Staff Clinic.
“Other Centres nationwide, can be found in the website of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA): www.nphada gov.ng/vaccinationsites.
“All Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Government Agencies and Extra-Ministerial Offices are enjoined lo bring the contents of this circular to the attention of their start and ensure strict compliance.”
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