Catholic Bishops of the Lagos Ecclesiastical Province have charged the Federal Government to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in a fair and equitable manner to ensure they reach those who need them regardless of their socio-economic status.They gave the charge in a communiqué signed by its President, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Reverend Alfred Adewale Martins and Secretary, Bishop of IJebu-Ode, Reverend Francis Obafemi Adesina, after their first meeting of the year in Lagos.
Urging Nigerians to take the pandemic seriously and not treat it as a hoax, they enjoined the citizens to observe all the safety measures put in place by the government to guard against contracting the virus.
“We urge the populace to take proactive measures to boost their personal immunity against the virus. They should also have recourse to the Almighty and merciful God in prayers to quickly end the coronavirus pandemic in our world,” they said.
Commending President Muhammadu Buhari for replacing the service chiefs, the clerics expressed the hope that the new service chiefs, like the new broom, would bring new vigour and vision into the war against terrorism and insecurity in Nigeria.
The bishops urged the new service chiefs to see the task as the reason for their appointment and prosecute it with necessary human and material resources to end insecurity in the country as soon as possible.
They also appealed to governours of the 36 states of the federation to rise to their primary responsibility of ensuring the security of life and property of all Nigerians, adding that they could not afford to be docile, while terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other hoodlums continue to terrorise citizens in their states.

MEANWHILE, Minister of the Environment, Dr. Mohammad M. Abubakar, has said the COVD-19 Health Protection Regulation Law 2021 was a new measure of controlling the spread of the pandemic in the country.
Abubakar, who stated this while interacting with journalists in Abuja, explained that the regulation was aimed at tackling the deadly virus and ultimately to boost the well being of Nigerians.
He said Nigerians should strive to obey the sixth part of the regulation’s comprehensive provisions, adding that non-pharmaceutical measures, which are by no means the most important aspects of COVID-19 prevention were clear and easy to observe.
“The COVID-19 HPR 2021 is an essential legal directive aimed at safeguarding the health of citizens, which all stakeholders should comply with stakeholders. It is for our common good,” Abubakar added.