The need for Nigerians to embrace covid 19 vaccination formed the focal point of discussion at A Day Advocacy Meeting organised by the Akure Field Office of UNICEF for Media Practitioners and Local government Information Officers in Ekiti state.
The meeting, held at Ido Ekiti, had General Managers of all the media stations in the state and Local government information officers from the sixteen Council areas in attendance.
Welcoming participants, the UNICEF Communication for Development Specialist for the Akure Field office, Mrs Aderonke Akinola, said the programme was aimed at engaging the media practitioners on the need to use their platforms to further raise awareness on the importance of getting vaccinated.
She said the meeting was also to leverage on existing platforms to track rumours and engage communities to boost confidence and uptake of the vaccine.
She explained that out of the projected three million people to be vaccinated in Ekiti state, only 107,710 people were vaccinated within nine months.
Briefing the gathering on the level of compliance to vaccination in the state, the State Immunisation Officer, Mrs Adeyinka Ajimati, said that, though, Ekiti People had been turning up for the vaccination, but that the response was below expectation.
She explained that the number of those who collected the first jab of the vaccine was lower to the second dose, calling on Nigerians to take the two jabs..
The WHO Acting State Coordinator, Ekiti office, Dr Eyitayo Emmanuel, and the state Health Educator, Mrs Adekemi Ajayi, spoke on the effectiveness of the vaccine and allayed the misconceptions about it.
The commissioner for Information and Values Orientation, Mr Akin Omole, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Olufemi Adedipe, urged the media practitioners to help propagate the right information about the vaccine so as to reduce the fear and misconceptions about it.
The General Manager of the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State, Mr Olu Popoola and his colleagues, advisedbthe organizers to meet with traditional rulers with a view to convincing people to develop positive attitude towards the vaccine.
Other participants also came up with suggestions on how to achieve improved vaccination.
