Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero from entering his house during the launch of
another round of immunization in Rigasa, a suburb of Kaduna. Weekly Trust
reports
when a 46-year-old trader, Mohammed Sani Usman, stopped Governor Mukhtar
Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State, who was on house-to-house polio immunization
campaign, from entering his house.
Our correspondent reports that the drama, which lasted for an hour, attracted
hundreds of residents of the densely populated suburb to the scene as the news
of the trader’s act filtered into the community like wild fire.
Weekly Trust gathered that the governor begged the man to allow his three-year-older
granddaughter Farida to be given the polio vaccine, but he refused. The trader,
a father of 12, refused to budge despite all entreaties from the governor.
Governor Yero, accompanied by many of his aides, traditional rulers and other
leaders of Igabi Local Government Area, was in the area to flag off
of the June special round of Sub-National Immunization Plus (SNIPDs). At the
end of the ceremony, the governor took time to administer the vaccine on
children in the neighbourhood of the Rigasa Primary Health Care Centre where
the programme was kicked started.
However, when the governor arrived at the house of the trader, he was denied
entry. It was gathered that the trader ignored the security men on the
entourage of the governor, stayed put at the entrance of his compound and
insisted that the governor will not enter. While others were jubilating to see
the governor, the trader ignored the pleas from the governor.
The trader, Weekly Trust heard from his neighbours, is one of the people known
to reject polio vaccine in the area. Rigasa is one of
communities in the state where there are high cases of missed children due to
cases of rejection and non-compliance. The incident occurred penultimate Friday
around 11.am and it lasted till 12noon.
The trader told Weekly Trust days after the incident that he has reservation on
the polio vaccine, adding that even if it were President Goodluck Jonathan
comes to his house with polio vaccine, he will treat him same way.
“I was not informed that the governor was coming and they know I don’t allow my
children to take polio vaccine, so why would they bring the governor to my
house with polio? I’m against polio and doubt if somebody can change my
perception about it.
“Anyway, I know that the governor went to flag off immunization, he doesn’t
enter people’s house, then why mine? My child is mine and not yours and I have
never stopped other parents from immunizing their children. God has not stopped
us from giving birth and our Prophet (SAW) wants us to give birth to children.
“The governor, no matter his position, as far as I am concerned, cannot be
compared to my close neighbour. This is because no matter the problem that may
befall me, before any of my blood relatives comes to my aid, my neighbour will
be the first to be contacted. I own my house which I bought 20 years ago and
nobody can enter without my consent. If those who brought the governor wanted
to be just to me, they would have informed me before his arrival so that I will
be ready. His people should have told me that we know you are
against polio vaccine, but the governor will be coming so we want
him to enter your house. But none of them did that.
“I was not aware of his arrival. I was inside the house working on my wrappers
when I heard noise in front of my house. So, I came out to see what the problem
was and surprisingly I saw some commissioners and security men at my gate. Then
I heard one of them saying they wanted to enter my house. So, I asked them for
what reason, they said to immunize my children. Then I said it will not be
possible. Initially, I was thinking it was a joke, but one of the soldiers
attached to the governor made a statement that infuriated me because he said
that most of the residents of Rigasa are foreigners; that statement made me
angry.
“So I told him that even if they are going to kill me, I will not allow the
governor to enter my house. I also told the soldier that if not for his uniform
I am sure if they ask him to make such a statement in my presence he cannot do
that. I also said in the governor’s presence that even if President Jonathan
comes here, I will not allow them to immunize my child. So the governor held my
hand that I should allow him to enter but I refused. I told him that this is
not his house and so I will not allow him in. He pleaded with me to allow him
in. He asks if I know him I said yes but I will not allow him to immunize my
child. I also told the governor that I have nothing against him.
“When they threatened to use force against me, I threw the girl at them to
immunize her. I gave them the girl. They only immunized her by force, not
because I wanted. I also prayed to Allah to fight for me, because I was
embarrassed by what happened in my own house,” the trader who hailed from
Maradun in Zamfara State told Weekly Trsut.
Before the incident, the governor had earlier entered the residence of the
trader’s next door neighbour where he immunized the grandchild of
octogenarian Saidu Jibril. A scene was also created there. After the
immunisation, the octogenarian held the hands of the governor and took him
round his mud house.
“The old man took him round from one room to the other. In fact, he took the
governor to the only toilet in his compound. At the end of the day, the old man
begged the governor to assist him rebuild the house,” a witness told Weekly
Trust.
The octogenarian said he didn’t allow his grandchildren to be immunized,
because of the presence of the governor but that he has since embraced the
vaccine.
“I’m happy that the governor came to my house and that was why I took him round
the whole compound. You know in this area, my house is the only mud house and I
told him that he should assist and give my house a facelift. He
promised to do it and he has started fulfilling it because yesterday (Tuesday)
builders have come to survey it and they said they will build three bedroom
flat,” he said joyfully.
Reacting on the trader’s act, the ward head of the area, Adamu Garba Rabah,
condemned the conduct of the trader. “We are not happy with him at all, because
what he did was totally wrong. The vaccine is not harmful and we are appealing
to all those who are sharing his opinion on the vaccine to have a rethink,” he
said.
Governor Yero said the decision to flag-off the campaign in Rigasa ward was
because of poor compliance in the area
“Though we have steady improvement considering where we were at the beginning
of this year, it is just minimal when compared with the task ahead. Therefore,
I want us to remain focused and determined in our quest to evolve a polio free
state, because in spite of the successes we have made, we still face the
challenge of missed children and non compliance as shown by report of the
immunization rounds in May 2013.
“OPV is safe, it is not a contraceptive drug and it remains the only means to
protect our children from the destructive menace of polio virus. We are working
hard to disabuse the minds of our people on the safety of the OPV and Insha
Allah, I have no doubt, we shall succeed. We have noticed that Rigasa is one of
the areas in the state with high rate of non compliance,” he noted.
