The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun compulsory enforcement of COVID-19 vaccination for its employees in all the agency’s offices across the country.
In Abuja, staff of the commission at its Jabi headquarters were screened by the management, led by Secretary to the anti-graft agency, Dr. George Ekpungu, as unvaccinated workers were instructed to pen down their names in a special register. Those duly vaccinated equally signed in and got entrance.
EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said the exercise, which commenced as early as 6.30 a.m. caught a number of staff unawares with some having to return home to fetch their vaccine cards.
Ekpungu said the enforcement was in deference to the order of the Executive Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, that all staff must be vaccinated.
At the Ilorin Zonal Command, non-compliant members of staff were denied from accessing the commission’s office situated along with the Government Reserved Area (GRA), Ilorin.
The step was taken in compliance with the directive by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, which mandated all federal civil servants to be vaccinated or have evidence of negative PCR test for COVID-19, effective from December 1, 2021, in order to access government offices.
Giving vent yesterday to the order in the Kwara State capital, the Deputy Zonal Commander, ACE II Atinuke Akinroyeje, was at command’s gate as early as 7:00 a.m. to disallow yet-to-be vaccinated staff while allowing in only those who provided evidence of vaccination. She said the step was taken to ensure the safety of all, especially on account of the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the virus.
Similarly, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has barred unvaccinated intakes from its camps nationwide.
The Director-General, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, said from next year, all prospective corps members would show evidence of vaccination before gaining access to camps for subsequent registration.
He made the disclosure yesterday in his nationwide virtual address to the 2021 Batch ‘C’ Stream 2 corps members and camp officials.
HOWEVER, the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University College Hospital (UCH) Branch, Ibadan, yesterday, challenged the Federal Government to make vaccines available and accessible before barring unvaccinated corps members from orientation camps.
The branch president, Dr. Zakariyah Hussain, made the appeal while addressing journalists during the 53rd Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the association in the Oyo State capital.
Hussain, who was reacting to the earlier directive of the NYSC DG, urged the Federal Government and its agency to concentrate their energies and resources on making the jabs available and accessible.
