The Journal Nigeria

Thursday, 19th September 2024
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It seems quite unbelievable that Femi Fani-Kayode, former minister of aviation, recently had his first AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine jab. This is after he had, on different social media posts, condemned and warned against the vaccine, even tagging it “Gates’ killer vaccine” and “EVIL”.

Fani-Kayode has vociferously been claiming that the vaccine’s purpose was part of the depopulation agenda which would kill millions of people especially Africans.

Many people, thanks to deviant characters like Fani-Kayode, still doubt the existence of the COVID-19 virus. To some. it is just a game of politics. Looking at the coronavirus pandemic, conspiracy theories range from entirely fabricated content to speculative findings shared via what looks like a game of Chinese whispers. Genuine sources are never known.

Conspiracy theorist advocate the existence of secret plots which the powerful elites are hiding from the public’s eye in a bid to politically manipulate the people or eliminate a particular race. Many forms of conspiracy stories have been circulating in several countries.

In Nigeria, for instance, there were reports that some patients who visited the hospital gave information of how mere malaria cases were recorded as COVID-19.

Some citizens in Nigeria are still puzzled on how the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) treats COVID-19 patients since WHO has cancelled the use of hydroxychloroquine. Many Nigerians still doubt the NCDC testing capacity.

In a viral video released via the social media, a lady was seen dancing continuously to the chorus “Do you know somebody who knows somebody, who has corona?” This literally calls coronavirus, especially in Nigeria a hoax.

Many Nigerians are perplexed to note that even with such a high number of COVID-19 cases, none of them have ever seen a victim of the disease.

Known for his controversial stance on national and international issues, Femi Fani Kayode happened to be one of those people that believed the coronavirus was a hoax. Sometime in April 2020, when coronavirus was declared a pandemic, Fani-Kayode raised alarm and warned Nigerians on his official handle saying, the vaccine “will result in millions of deaths. Nigeria is trying to pass a law that will make it compulsory to take that vaccine as part of the world depopulation agenda. This is EVIL!”

In the same vein, on May 2, 2020 on his Twitter post, Fani-Kayode had claimed that the said vaccine, if taken, will turn people into guinea pig.

Fani Kayode’s Twitter Handle

He tweeted that, “@WHO is set to begin COVID-19 vaccine trials in our country. EVIL! Not only have our people been turned into Guinea pigs to test Gates’ killer vaccine but our leaders are also passing a law which will make the use of that evil vaccine compulsory. What a mess! I weep for Nigeria.”

Now, the former minister of aviation has received the same vaccine he loudly declared as evil. Fani-Kayode after taking the vaccine declared, “Despite my initially strong reservations I bowed to sound logic and superior reasoning and took my COVID-19 vaccine.

The sudden change of Femi Fani Kayode’s position on COVID-19 got many Nigerians thinking that, probably he is ready to die given his initial stance on COVID-19. It is regrettable that a man many would depend on, even with issues that border on life and death, can shamelessly make a total policy sommersault without apologising profusely to his followers.

The former minister of aviation is not the only Nigerian who doubted the existence of COVID-19. For instance, Dino Melaye, a former Nigerian senator, has urged Nigerians not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, which has killed millions across the world and several people in Nigeria. He never showed any evidence to those claims.

Senator Melaye expressed doubts in the vaccines despite the approved ones going through various scientific processes including an endorsement by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Fani Kayode’ Twitter Handle

In a viral video which was shared on social media platforms including Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram, the former senator advised Nigerians and Africans “not to accept the use of any vaccine for now.”

Mr Melaye claimed that it is impossible to have secured a vaccine for the novel virus given that “other diseases like cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS still have no vaccines”.

“For 100 years now, we could not find a vaccine for cancer, for over 40 years we are yet to find a vaccine for HIV/AIDS, for over another 100 years research is still going on to find a vaccine for diabetes. How on earth is it possible that in one year, you find a vaccine for COVID-19?” he asked.

Also, in May 2020, a Christian television channel founded by a Lagos-based megachurch pastor, Chris Oyakhilome, was sanctioned by OFCOM. The British broadcast regulator prevented him from airing “potentially harmful statements” about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statements included a baseless conspiracy that the virus is linked to the rollout of 5G networks and was broadcast by his LoveWorld Television Ministry on satellite around the world. He was in combat for months against what he claims is a “global cover-up” over 5G networks being the cause of the pandemic and deaths.

While Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State was doing his best to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in Lagos, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, on the other hand, in March 2020, publicly stated something to the effect that the noise about COVID-19 was simply a hype, as the virus was nothing more than the common cold!

Several Nigerians had already been exposed to the virus at the time Governor Bello made the statement (a sentiment which he also seemed to share with his counterpart in Cross River State, at the time). Since then, millions of people worldwide have died as a result of this deadly virus in a period of approximately one year.

Read Also: When Value Matters: The Rejection of Fani-Kayode

Now that vaccines have been discovered, Governor Bello, who is responsible for the security and welfare of the people of Kogi State (Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution) has rubbished the efforts of those who have put in efforts seeking a cure for the virus, by saying publicly that the vacancies are meant to kill people!

Yahaya Bello on Friday, March 5 2021, reiterated his aversion to the COVID-19 pandemic during Channels TV at Politics Today, stating that he would not be taking the vaccine because he’s “hale and hearty.”

Now that, the former minister of aviation has reviewed his position on COVID-19, would his co-travellers also do the same thing, or they would wait for the outcome of Fani-Kayode’s first and second jabs? Time will tell.

Godwin Anyebe