COVID-19 Vaccine Enforcement: Cleric urges Gov Obaseki to have a rethink

The Senior Pastor of Banner of Solution Christian Assembly, Benin City, Edo State, Apostle Dr Emmanuel Igiehon has advised the Governor of the State, Mr Godwin Obaseki to have a rethink as regard the Covid-19 Vaccine enforcement in the State.

He made this known while speaking with our Correspondent in Benin on the intention of government to bar unvaccinated persons from gaining access to their offices, worship centres, banks and other public places.

Apostle Igiehon said that in as much as government has the right to protect lives and property, the right to be inoculated rest with the people noting that enforcing it constitutes a breach of people’s fundamental human right as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He stressed that extending enforcement to the church by restricting those not vaccinated from accessing their places of worship is against the right to freedom of worship and the doctrine of God.

“The house of the Lord is where people run to for safety. For the government to say that anyone not vaccinated would be shot out of the kingdom of God is against constitutional rights. Even as a Pastor I have no right to stop people from coming to church. I can only give counsel which they can either accept or reject.

“There are some religious bodies that do not believe in medications and vaccines, they believe their faith can make them whole. That is why the word of God said that if your faith can not make you whole you can go to the hospital, but if your faith can make you whole it is fine. Like the woman with the issue of blood in the Bible, she must have gone to the hospital. But the ailment defied all forms of medications. She was only made well when she had an encounter with Jesus”.

He also frowned at the idea of sitting vaccination stands in churches maintaining that vaccination should be done at the healthcare facility so those who eventually develop complications from the vaccine can be promptly attended to by healthcare professionals.

He reiterated that the almighty God is the author and giver of life and is the only one that can heal and deliver his people from all forms of sicknesses and diseases.