Association urges Federal workers in A’Ibom to get COVID-19 vaccination

Etim Ekpimah

The chairman of the Association of Heads of Federal Establishments in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Enoh Uyoh, on Wednesday asked all heads of federal establishments in the state to go for their first dose of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Uyoh said this in his remarks during the association’s March general meeting at the Federal Secretariat, Uyo on Wednesday.

He urged all heads of federal establishments in the state to submit themselves to the ongoing vaccination exercise and called on other members of staff to do the same.

He added that he (Uyoh) has taken his own jab, assuring his listeners that the vaccination is not harmful.

“I want to urge you all to submit yourselves to ongoing COVID-19 vaccination exercise, as it has been approved by Federal and State Governments because of its safety and verified efficacy,” Uyoh said.

Uyoh, who is also the Director of National Orientation Agency (NOA) in the state, reminded the people that COVID-19 was still around, and advised that there was need for strict adherence to safety protocols as given by the Nigeria Centre for Disease and Control (NCDC).

The chairman also reminded the heads of establishments that they were all ambassadors from the federal government and therefore should project what the FG was doing to the people in their different establishments.

He said: “You must let the people know what your establishment is doing, and what the Federal Government is also doing through your establishment to improve on the living standard of Nigerians.”

Our correspondent reports that the highpoint of the meeting was the presentation by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) by Mr Ben Esang, Head of the Public Enlightenment Unit.

Esang said that NAPTIP as an agency of government was committed to the prevention of all forms of human degradation and exploitation through coordinated use of the country’s crime prevention and law enforcement resources, to stamp out human trafficking.

He added that the agency would continue to work in collaboration with other agencies to ensure the elimination and prevention of the root causes of the problem of traffic in any person.

He said that selling of babies and domestic servitude were rampant in the state, and charged parents and guardians to be mindful of what their children were doing to avoid exploitation.

The public enlightenment officer said the agency has rehabilitated over 100 victims of human trafficking in the last one year.