List of Killings in the Name of Islam (in Nigeria): 1st Quarter 2023

 This list for Nigeria is extracted from the list of killings in the name of Islam maintained by TheReligionofPeace.com. 

In the first quarter of 2023,  554 people were killed while 128 were injured by Islamists in Nigeria.

Between April 1 and April 16, 212 people have been killed and  82 injured.

(TheReligionofPeace website says it does not catch all attacks; and that some attacks are not posted immediately.  For information about the methodology, see About the List).

Date	City	Killed	Injured	Description
2023.03.29	Sobe	3	0	A pastor and two farmers are gunned down in cold blood by militant Muslims.
2023.03.28	Sobe	1	4	Militant Muslims invade a farming community, killing one resident.
2023.03.26	Yamtage	2	0	Two locals are taken out by ISWAP.
2023.03.26	Kajeri Dogumba	1	0	One man is executed by an ISWAP commander.
2023.03.26	Njee	2	0	Militant Muslims murder two people in separate attacks.
2023.03.26	North Jos	1	1	In a targeted attack. terrorists murder a church member in his home.
2023.03.23	Maiduguri	1	0	A Boko Haram IED claims one life.
2023.03.23	Agatu	5	0	A youth is among five killed by militant Muslims.
2023.03.17	Ngala	1	0	A shooting attack by ISWAP leaves one dead.
2023.03.16	Banki	3	11	An ISWAP bomb blast along a highway leaves three dead.
2023.03.15	Lake Chad	2	0	Two civilians are captured and executed by ISWAP.
2023.03.14	Mubushi	10	14	A targeted shooting attack on Christians kills ten.
2023.03.14	Zangon Kataf	10	12	Ten are slain by militant Muslims in what appears to be a targeted attack on Christians.
2023.03.11	Ungwan Wakili	8	0	A youth hacked to death is among eight killed by Muslim militia.
2023.03.11	Zangon Kataf	17	0	Muslim militants storm a village and hack or shoot sixteen Christians to death.
2023.03.10	Benue	34	0	A series of rolling attacks by militant Muslims leaves thirty-four bodies across several villages.
2023.03.10	Karimbu-Kahugu	1	3	Muslim 'bandits' assassinate the son of a Baptist preacher.
2023.03.10	Ungwan Wakili	17	12	Miitant Muslims slaughter at least seventeen at a Christian village.
2023.03.09	Dikwa	8	0	Eight more fishermen are discovered shot to death by Islamic State loyalists.
2023.03.08	Dikwa	37	9	Thirty-seven fishermen are murdered by ISWAP.
2023.03.07	Tse-Jor	8	5	Muslim militants dispatch eight mourners at a funeral.
2023.03.05	Banki	5	3	ISIS operatives kill five members of a security patrol.
2023.03.05	Sobe	3	12	A militant Muslim attack on a farming community leaves three dead.
2023.03.04	Kanawuri	3	0	Muslim militants murder a church leader and his two children.
2023.03.03	Bulabulin	2	2	Two succumb to injury following an ISWAP IED attack.
2023.03.03	Kwande	36	0	Three dozen locals are massacred by Muslim milita.
2023.03.02	Choliye	200	0	Women and children are among two-hundred slaughtered by Religion of Peace rivals.
2023.03.01	Yale	15	0	Fifteen rivals are killed by ISWAP.
2023.03.01	Agasha	3	0	Muslim terrorists rack up a total of three bodies.
2023.02.28	Turan	4	0	Muslim terrorists murder four locals.
2023.02.28	Gwer West	8	0	Eight villagers are cut down by militant Muslims.
2023.02.26	Tse Lgar	8	0	Eight innocents are killed by Muslim terrorists.
2023.02.26	Magu	3	0	Militant Muslims murder three others.
2023.02.26	Daudu	2	0	Two villagers are hacked to death by Muslim militants.
2023.02.25	Borno	1	5	Boko Haram members dress in Muslim women attire to attack a polling station, killing one voter.
2023.02.10	Gulmari	15	0	Fifteen rivals are cut down by ISWAP.
2023.02.09	Nagi Mbachohon	5	7	Militant Muslims stage a late afternoon attack on a village, leaving five lifeless bodies on the ground.
2023.02.09	Burmari	6	0	A Boko Haram ambush leaves six dead.
2023.02.04	Benue	6	3	At least a half-dozen people are shot dead by militant Muslims.
2023.01.31	Gwer West	3	0	Three local cops are slain by Muslim militants.
2023.01.30	Markudi	5	0	Three woman and two children are reported killed by Muslim radicals.
2023.01.28	Kwande County	12	0	A dozen Christians are murdered by militant Muslims.
2023.01.27	Sabon Gari	9	0	Nine are reported dead following an ISWAP IED attack.
2023.01.26	Ngala	1	0	ISWAP operatives attack a checkpoint, killing an officer.
2023.01.26	Yola	1	0	A church pastor is abducted and murdered in a targeted attack.
2023.01.24	Toru- Angiama	3	0	A man and his son are among three slain by Muslim militants.
2023.01.22	Gambar Sabon Layi	5	1	Five are killed in a late-night targeted attack on a Christian community.
2023.01.19	Makurdi	11	8	A family of six are among Eleven Catholic refugees beheaded by Muslim militants.
2023.01.18	Makilwe	1	8	A farmer is shot to death by Boko Haram, which takes eight others hostage.
2023.01.17	Makilwe	1	8	Boko Haram murder a farmer and abduct eight others.
2023.01.15	Kafin-Karo	1	0	Angry Muslims shoot a priest to death and burn down his church.
2023.01.12	Marte	4	0	Four locals are shot dead by Boko Haram.

To illustrate the highly concerning escalation of these pathetic killings since the conclusion of the national elections,  (with absolutely no response from the government),  we post below the list of killings in the first 16 days of the current month, April 2023:

Date	City	Killed	Injured	Description
2023.04.16	Runji	26	6	Twenty-six more non-Muslim villagers are slaughtered by Muslim terrorists.
2023.04.15	Zangon Kataf	7	0	Seven village residents are killed by Muslim militants.
2023.04.13	Buni Gari	9	1	Nine tribesmen are murdered by Boko Haram.
2023.04.11	Wala	3	0	Three villagers are cut down by Boko Haram.
2023.04.07	Mgban	37	0	Over thirty locals are hacked to death at a displaced persons camp by militant Muslims.
2023.04.07	Atakpa	8	5	Eight lose their lives to Muslim terrorists.
2023.04.06	Akpanta	3	3	Muslim militants kill three.
2023.04.06	Ugbodi	4	3	Four villagers are slain by Muslim terrorists.
2023.04.06	Akpete	1	1	Muslim militants kill a man and rape a woman.
2023.04.06	Nossombougou	5	0	Two civilians are among five cut down by Jihadists.
2023.04.05	Umogidi	52	0	Fifty-two members of a farming community are massacred by Muslim terrorists.
2023.04.05	Edikwu	2	3	Two lose their lives to Muslim militants.
2023.04.05	Inyapu	7	3	Seven innocents are slaughtered by Muslim terrorists.
2023.04.04	Otukpo	3	0	Three members of a farming community are slaughtered by militant Muslims.
2023.04.04	Ikobi	15	36	Fifteen innocents are butchered by Muslim militants.
2023.04.04	Oiji	3	3	Three are slain by Muslim militants.
2023.04.04	Mathdaw	1	1	A pastor is gunned down by Boko Haram, who also shoot his wife.
2023.04.04	Umogidi	4	0	Four villagers are cut down by Muslim militants.
2023.04.03	Kwesati	10	0	Militant Muslims fire into a village and set fire to homes.
2023.04.02	Akenawe-Tswarev	1	5	Muslim militants burst into a church and kill a child.
2023.04.02	Danna	3	12	Boko Haram kill three villagers and abduct at least a dozen others.
2023.04.02	Oganenigu	8	0	Eight people are reported dead following an attack by militant Muslims on a small village.

CHURCH ARISE! – PUBLIC STATEMENT ON THE “RELIGIOUS WAR” AUDIO ATTRIBUTED TO MR PETER OBI AND BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO

 Church Arise! is concerned about the desperation implied in the widely circulating audio clip attributed to Labour Party’s  Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and one of the spiritual Fathers in the land,  Bishop David Oyedepo. The audio has been denounced both by Mr Peter Obi and the Bishop as conveying perspectives they never endorsed nor ever expressed, even privately.  A forensic analyst using open-source AI software averred that the audio clip actually comprised of four different audios that have been put together, and that parts of the audios were AI-generated.  The analyst invited anyone interested to download the software and verify his finding themself. Nevertheless, according to the Obi-Datti Campaign Council, the contents of the “fake” audio “have been translated to other Nigerian languages and circulated in most parts of Northern Nigeria....”

 

It is strange that instead of expressing outrage at private phone conversations not only being illegally tapped, and then shamelessly doctored to convey dangerous meanings never expressed by the individuals involved, the audio is being portrayed as evidence that Mr. Peter Obi is a religious bigot!   This is an incongruous allegation against a candidate that had repeatedly urged the electorate to vote for him strictly on altruistic merits and not on tribal or religious sentiments.  Frankly speaking, if this is all the traducers of Peter Obi could raise against him, it speaks volumes of the integrity and honesty of the man, in the manner of Daniel (Daniel 6:4). 

 

Apparently, Peter Obi in the absolutely legitimate effort of seeking the support of the revered Bishop had quoted some of the several publicly expressed statements by notable Islamic authorities, such as  Dr Abdulmutallab Auwal of the Islamic Preachers coalition, that the election is a Jihad which would seal the supremacy of Islam over other religious expressions if the Moslem-Moslem ticket could succeed.  The faceless leakers of the audio would want us to accept that while the public proclamation of the election as a Jihad is Okay, reporting such statements (even in privacy) is bigotry!

At CA! we are well familiar with this ridiculous posturing as we have often found ourselves accused of “heating up the polity” simply by our reporting on persecuted Christians (such as Eunice at Abuja, Deborah at Sokoto, and of course, Leah who continues to languish in Islamic captivity even as we write this, for five years and counting!).

 

Our particular concern at this time is that desperate politicians proclaimed the gubernatorial election in Lagos an ethnic war, and pronto, against all basic logic, that evil declaration is gradually turning to a reality.  Now that the same set of voodoo players are trying to scuttle the upcoming election Tribunal with a proclamation of religious war in Nigeria, we by this write-up hereby frustrate whatever spell is being banked upon to actualize this evil pronouncement.

 

Peace and prosperity unto Nigeria in Jesus name!

 

Church Arise!

Ile-Ife, April 9, 2023. 

2023 General Elections – Our Position

 Church Arise! endorse wholesomely the Statement below by the Christian Leaders Assembly in Yorubaland, with whom we are proud Affiliates.  We do not consider it necessary to issue our own separate Statement, but would love to remind the Body of Christ that it would be naïve to imagine that the Fulani Cabal is done with her scheming and is looking forward to handing over power to some Southerner.  We counsel that the Church takes time to discern and guard against the various subtle manipulations from this Cabal in the unfolding post-election developments.

====================================================================

The much eagerly-awaited 2023 General Elections are finally here, with the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on February 25, and the Gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly elections held on March 18.  Results of the latter elections are currently being processed.  The elections mark a definite milestone in the nation’s history as new players are expected to come on board the political stage, leading to what many hope would be the new glorious Nigeria long-prophesied by several vessels of God in the past generations.

The Christian Leaders Assembly in Yorubaland is disappointed by the abysmal performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in conducting the elections given the enormous fiscal and intellectual resources committed to the exercise; together with the tremendous goodwill from citizens and other stakeholders both within and outside the country.  It is saddening that so much irregularities could be blatantly committed in broad daylight.  The low figure of 25 million total votes recorded (out of over 90 million registered voters) in the Presidential election, despite the obvious huge turnout of the electorate, is a clear confirmation that many were disenfranchised one way or the other.  The disenfranchisement was downright brazen and done with gross impunity in the governorship election, especially in Lagos and Rivers states.  It is not surprising that virtually all the key election Monitors (both local and foreign) have generally condemned the elections. 

  

Fortunately, the aggrieved parties are exploring the peaceful judicial option for redress and succor, rather than resort to organized violence.  We call on all those in authority to allow this option take its full course.  It is particularly important that the judgment of the Supreme Court granting access by the contending parties to required data and materials relating to the election be speedily obeyed.  This will ensure that this recourse to legitimate and peaceful adjudication persists.

  

At the Christian Leaders Assembly in Yorubaland, we believe that God can indeed choose and use whosoever He wishes, no matter how unattractive that choice might appear to human reasoning.  However, we have no doubt that the LORD would never require His people to endorse ungodly actions in order to bring about His supposed will.  We may not be involved in unrighteousness, in the expectation that it would somehow result in some overall “good”. (Romans 3:8, I John 3:7, I John 5:17).

  

We urge all Nigerians to not lose hope in our expectation for a new, glorious Nigeria. God’s programme is on course, and we may safely consider all the current turmoil as merely the Devil’s final desperate acts trying to at least delay the inevitable.  However, the LORD God Almighty has a track record in “taking the wise in their own craftiness”. His Word abides forever, and His counsel prevails over all others!

  

Shalom Aleichem! Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

                                                                                        

Prof Joshua Ojo                                                                   Pastor Unction Olufemi

President                                                                            Secretary

 

Ile-Ife. Sunday 19^th March, 2023

Church Arise!: Our Recommendations for the coming Presidential Poll (25-02-23)

 

Without any doubts, the 2023 Presidential election scheduled for Saturday 25^th February promises to be one of the major milestones in Nigeria’s history.  Possibly in the same league as Israel’s exodus out of Egypt after generations-long enslavement.  It really could be that significant! 

In a nutshell, this election promises to preface the fulfilment of all those incredible prophecies by the likes of Pa Sydney G.Elton, Reinhard Bonnke, Lance Lambert, Benny Hinn and other non-indigenous prophets of God, of a brand new  Nigeria that would emerge after an extended period of  gross darkness. A new Nigeria that would play tremendously significant positive roles, globally, for the kingdom of God in the end times.

It is as clear as daylight, that the key issue of the moment is snatching power out of the hand of a tiny Cabal currently menacing Nigeria with their Fulanization Project. Obsessed with their supremacist goal of subordinating other nationalities in Nigeria to the Fulanis, these gangsters are content to play the stooge for their external patrons-puppeteers, the globalists who need to keep Nigeria distracted, destabilized, and exploited while their New World Order is installed upon the globe.

It’s really amazing that so many people could fail to see the clear handwriting: the ramped up persecution of Christians (including the massacre of worshippers at St Francis Cathedral, Owo, or the audacious public lynching and burning of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto);  the unrelenting vigorous clamour for Ruga; utter desperation to pass the nauseating Water resources control bill; the importation with impunity of Fulanis from all over West Africa and their prompt issuance with sensitive national documents (including the NIN and PVC); the lingering proposal for the revised Constitution to confer indigene status on anyone who has lived in any part of Nigeria for 10 years continuously (which will automatically legitimize the take-over of hundreds of villages and communities currently domiciled by Fulani “herdsmen”, while the sacked indigenous population continue to languish in various IDP camps in their millions); the closure of [most of] the nation’s land borders for two years, whereas the northern borders remained open/unmanned, permitting mass immigration of Fulanis in a desperate effort to change Nigeria’s demography; the emerging new narrative that “the North has the numbers” and does not have to respect any power-sharing pact with any other region of the Federation; coupled with a literally mad rush to canonize it all with a population Census, weeks to the end of the regime’s tenure!

And all of these are mere icing on the cake which, baked over the course of eight years, had seen virtually all the arms-bearing security agencies (military, police, intelligence, civil defense, customs, immigration, correctional, etc), together with all economic agencies (NNPC, IRS, Ports Authorities) and strategic social sectors (Education, Digital ID etc) all firmly in the hands of Fulanis. How then could anybody naively imagine that a people who have struggled and have successfully crafted out such an incredibly lopsided structure will now abruptly relinquish it all when it is just nearing completion?

If it had not been the LORD that has been on our side….!

That we have come thus far, with the realities of an election now starring us in the face is clearly evidence of God’s active intervention to date in the matter! Over the months, we have seen various other options projected but quietened by the LORD Himself.  It was clear that the audacious jail break in the nation’s capital eliciting zero response from the security forces, or the flagrant attacks on the Presidential convoy (following open threats that the President himself would be kidnapped), were only preparatory for more insidious actions.  Undoubtedly the unprecedented open operation of US military forces within Nigeria capital city (in cooperation with the DSS but flagrantly leaving out Nigeria’s military) gave credence that a Taliban-like  [Afghanistan] assault on Aso Rock was nipped in the bud possibly at the last minute. We could literally see the Fulani Cabal becoming jittery as they run out of options.  As at the present time, it is evident that the Cabal’s calculation of a legitimate win at the polls [which had encouraged them to suddenly put premium on “credible and transparent election”] is fast turning into a mirage.  Clear evidence of utter desperation is the engineered social disruptions including fuel scarcity and currency re-design. Indeed, until very recently, with the arrival of international election observers, the clamour for an interim government in lieu of the election was becoming deafening. 

But like God goaded Pharaoh to the sea and Haman to his gallows in order to give Israel irreversible victories, the scheming cabals have been led to the elections, and now, by God’s grace, a new Nigeria beckons.

Humanly speaking, candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) would appear to be the one politician that is desperate, wily, and tough enough to take on the Fulani. Ordinarily, as we wrote during the Osun gubernatorial election last July, Church Arise! could very well have supported his legitimate ambition to rule the country, knowing he is capable of giving the Cabal a good run for their money. However it turned out that BAT would rather negotiate with the Fulanis to get a slice of power – literally at the expense of Nigeria’s glorious destiny, than side with the common man of Nigeria. [He probably is afraid of ending up another MKO].  Blatantly ignoring the rational voice of Nigerians (including the CAN and the PFN) that he pick a Christian running mate of his choice, BAT preferred to defer to the Cabal and chose another Moslem. And not just any moslem, but a Kassim Shetimma!

Now this is that Shetimma  that is totally tainted by his open fraternization with Boko Haram, and in whose tenure as governor of Borno state, 276 girls from the Christian Chibok Community were abducted by Jihadists in 2014. Almost 100 of the girls (now young ladies) still remain in custody of the terrorists till date.  This same man had the guts to announce on public TV that in the event of his becoming the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it has been settled that he, and not the President, would be directly in charge of the nation’s security!  It’s totally bewildering that we still have people who consider themselves as Christians, even Pastors, who are ardently campaigning to have this nightmarish scenario imposed on Nigeria!

But providentially, instead of Nigerians being constrained to choose between “the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” as widely expected,   a credible third force has been introduced into the fray!  On the Presidential ballot come Saturday 25^th February, will be an inclusive, bridge-building, competent, credible and proven team!  It seems evident to us at Church Arise!, that the choice for every freedom-loving patriot on Saturday should be straightforward enough: Peter Obi!  And so, perhaps just for the records, we hereby humbly recommend the Obi-Datti pair for the discerning Church of the Lord Jesus, come February 25.

The presidential election may well not yield an easy, straight-forward outcome.  But it will certainly mark a significant step toward the taking away power from the Fulani cabal. If we will diligently persist along the path of righteousness, with a fixed heart trusting in the LORD, we shall surely find out that the Maker of the Heavens and the Earth is well able to complete whatever He began. There is absolutely no need to contemplate “doing evil so that good may result”. The LORD has determined to save Nigeria by His own power and wisdom - without our needing to fall back to BAT (or any of the several other well-meaning ethnic nationality champions).

So let’s all meet, peacefully and civilly, at the polling Units on Saturday; and trustingly leave the outcomes to God.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Shalom Aleichem!

Church Arise!

Ile-Ife, 23^rd February, 2023

In loving memory of Deborah Yakubu Samuel (1999 - 2022)

LIVINGSCIENCE FOUNDATION: RESPONSE TO NAFDAC’S STATEMENT ON USE OF MERCURY-CONTAINING CHILDHOOD VACCINES IN NIGERIA

Summary: NAFDAC’s current regulations will not permit in a body lotion, the level and form of mercury it claims to be harmless in some vaccines being administered to children.

Copious news reports have brought to our attention a Press Release  issued by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on 24^th October, 2022.  The Release attempts to underplay the indisputable fact that vaccines, in formats long-proscribed in the developed nations, on safety considerations, are still being shipped to Nigeria for use in our children.

The NAFDAC’s Press Release was craftily directed at an uncited media “statement” which supposedly claimed that the mercury content in the vaccines in question is 40%. The focus of the Release was thereafter directed at this wrongly quoted value.  In actuality, it is thimerosal that contains 49.6% of ethyl mercury, while the concentration of thimerosal in vaccines could range from 0.003 to 0.01% as correctly stated in the NAFDAC’s statement.  Since the NAFDAC’s Release is obviously directed, ultimately, at submissions made at the recently concluded 7^th National Conference on Environment and Health convened by us, we reproduce here, for the records, our exact statement on the issue.  Observation No 3 in the Conference Communique reads:

 

i. It was observed that while the use of thimerosal (49.6% ethyl mercury) as preservative in traditional vaccines had been proscribed in the USA for over 2 decades, and in Europe for more than 30 years, this practice is still ongoing in Nigeria.  This is based on recommendations stemming from Risk Assessment exercises carried out by foreign/global agencies.  Vaccines so affected include Hepatitis B and Tetanus-Diphteria multidose vaccines.  Mercury in all forms is known to be neurotoxic.

                                                                                                                 

ii. By switching to single-dose forms of the same vaccine, as is done in the developed countries, the need for the use of thimerosal (as preservative) will be eliminated.

 

The full Communique can be obtained from http://conferences.lsfnigeria.org.

 

The issue is therefore not the wrongly-ascribed (possibly a typo) value of 40%  as mercury content in the vaccine  The 0.003 – 0.01% value quoted by the NAFDAC, while sounding miniscule as expressed in percentages, is actually humongous in trace elements toxicology. The upper limit actually translates to 25 microgram of ethyl mercury in a typical 0.5mL dose which could be administered, in the case of Hepatitis B vaccine, to day-old low-birthweight babies.  By comparison, the WHO recommended limit for mercury in 0.5 mL of waste water that can be used for agricultural purposes is 0.0005 microgram. That is 50,000 times lower than the mercury level in the vaccine!

 

The NAFDAC is certainly not unaware of the highly toxic nature of mercury.  Indeed the Agency has literally ZERO tolerance for mercury appearing, in any form, in all cosmetics and other household products.  A statement on NAFDAC’s website explains this proscription:

“Mercury is prohibited in cosmetics products because it can be harmful to health and can be absorbed into the body and causes damage to the kidneys and nervous system, as well as disrupt the brain development of young or unborn children…” https://www.nafdac.gov.ng/public-alert-no-007-2020-alert-on-ban-on-distribution-of-three-cosmetics-products-by-malaysian-ministry-of-health/

Deliberately loading babies, repeatedly, with such humongous amount of mercury is therefore clearly unconscionable. The practice was proscribed in Europe over 30 years ago, and despite considerable resistance by the formidable Vaccine Lobby, it was also proscribed in the USA some 10 years later.  Despite NAFDAC’s repeated claim of no evidence of harm, the sole reason for the proscription of these vaccines in the developed nations is SAFETY.

The NAFDAC attempts to befuddle this straightforward issue by repeatedly appealing to the World Health Organization.  According to the NAFDAC, since the WHO has not placed an outright proscription on the product, NAFDAC can continue to load the brains of Nigerian children with levels of mercury which would be unacceptable in waste waters and cosmetics. 

And just to be clear, global bodies such as the WHO or the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) are primarily concerned with issues that traverse nations.  Using negotiations and consensus-building, acceptable middle-ground solutions that would least rock the boat are endorsed and recommended in the sensitive task of accommodating the widely different values and interests represented in nearly 200 member states.   It is left for each nation to decide on strictly local issues – such as how much mercury to pump into the brain of their babies. 

For emphasis, it was not the WHO that proscribed the use of thimerosal in vaccines in the developed nations, but the national agencies - the equivalents of our NAFDAC – in those nations.  The WHO’s perspective for risk assessment of the continued use of thimerosal-containing vaccines is not by any means a secret.  It is clearly indicated in several technical articles, such as the one by Drain et al (2003) published in the official Bulletin of the WHO (Drain PK, Nelson CM, Lloyd JS. Single-dose versus multi-dose vaccine vials for immunization programmes in developing countries. Bull World Health Organ. 2003;81(10):726-31).  Simply put, if a nation considers herself too impoverished to afford safer single-dose vaccines which do not contain mercury as preservative, it is better to recommend they accept the morbid risk of impaired neurodevelopment in their children than the mortal risk associated with such infections as hepatitis, tetanus, and diphtheria.  And, of course, there is also the need to stabilize a sensitive global vaccine industry.

It is not our intention to by any means discredit the NAFDAC or take up issues with her.  This issue in question predates her by decades and there are several intimidating global players involved.  Our overriding concern is that health products which are not acceptable for use in the manufacturer/donors’ own children cannot be good enough for our own children and grand children.  We encourage NAFDAC to rather side with the Nigerian people and advise government on budgetary requirements to shift to the use of single-dose vials, or other upcoming innovations; such that Nigerians who require vaccines could continue to have them with at least the same relative safety enjoyed in other climes.

Prof Joshua O. Ojo

President/CEO, LivingScience Foundation, Ile-Ife

www.lsfnigeria.org

 

Ile-Ife, 3^rd November, 2022

 

“That Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations” - Psalms 67:2