POLIO: DRAMA AS TRADER TURNS BACK GOV YERO

A trader created a scene recently when he stopped Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero from entering his house during the launch of another round of immunization in Rigasa, a suburb of Kaduna. Weekly Trust reports

A mild drama played out in Rigasa, a suburb of Kaduna metropolis when a 46-year-old trader, Mohammed Sani Usman, stopped Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State, who was on house-to-house polio immunization campaign, from entering his house. 
Our correspondent reports that the drama, which lasted for an hour, attracted hundreds of residents of the densely populated suburb to the scene as the news of the trader’s act filtered into the community like wild fire. 

Weekly Trust gathered that the governor begged the man to allow his three-year-older granddaughter Farida to be given the polio vaccine, but he refused. The trader, a father of 12, refused to budge despite all entreaties from the governor. 
Governor Yero, accompanied by many of his aides, traditional rulers and other leaders of Igabi Local Government Area, was in the area to   flag off of the June special round of Sub-National Immunization Plus (SNIPDs). At the end of the ceremony, the governor took time to administer the vaccine on children in the neighbourhood of the Rigasa Primary Health Care Centre where the programme was kicked started.
However, when the governor arrived at the house of the trader, he was denied entry. It was gathered that the trader ignored the security men on the entourage of the governor,  stayed put at the entrance of his compound and insisted that the governor will not enter. While others were jubilating to see the governor, the trader ignored the pleas from the governor.
The trader, Weekly Trust heard from his neighbours, is one of the people known to reject   polio vaccine in the area. Rigasa is one of   communities in the state where there are high cases of missed children due to cases of rejection and non-compliance. The incident occurred penultimate Friday around 11.am and it lasted till 12noon. 
The trader told Weekly Trust days after the incident that he has reservation on the polio vaccine, adding that even if it were President Goodluck Jonathan comes to his house with polio vaccine, he will treat him same way.
“I was not informed that the governor was coming and they know I don’t allow my children to take polio vaccine, so why would they bring the governor to my house with polio? I’m against polio and doubt if somebody can change my perception about it. 
“Anyway, I know that the governor went to flag off immunization, he doesn’t enter people’s house, then why mine? My child is mine and not yours and I have never stopped other parents from immunizing their children. God has not stopped us from giving birth and our Prophet (SAW) wants us to give birth to children. 
“The governor, no matter his position, as far as I am concerned, cannot be compared to my close neighbour. This is because no matter the problem that may befall me, before any of my blood relatives comes to my aid, my neighbour will be the first to be contacted. I own my house which I bought 20 years ago and nobody can enter without my consent. If those who brought the governor wanted to be just to me, they would have informed me before his arrival so that I will be ready. His people should have told me that we know you are against   polio vaccine, but the governor will be coming so we want him to enter your house. But none of them did that. 
“I was not aware of his arrival. I was inside the house working on my wrappers when I heard noise in front of my house. So, I came out to see what the problem was and surprisingly I saw some commissioners and security men at my gate. Then I heard one of them saying they wanted to enter my house. So, I asked them for what reason, they said to immunize my children. Then I said it will not be possible. Initially, I was thinking it was a joke, but one of the soldiers attached to the governor made a statement that infuriated me because he said that most of the residents of Rigasa are foreigners; that statement made me angry.
“So I told him that even if they are going to kill me, I will not allow the governor to enter my house. I also told the soldier that if not for his uniform I am sure if they ask him to make such a statement in my presence he cannot do that. I also said in the governor’s presence that even if President Jonathan comes here, I will not allow them to immunize my child. So the governor held my hand that I should allow him to enter but I refused. I told him that this is not his house and so I will not allow him in. He pleaded with me to allow him in. He asks if I know him I said yes but I will not allow him to immunize my child. I also told the governor that I have nothing against him.
“When they threatened to use force against me, I threw the girl at them to immunize her. I gave them the girl. They only immunized her by force, not because I wanted. I also prayed to Allah to fight for me, because I was embarrassed by what happened in my own house,” the trader who hailed from Maradun in Zamfara State told Weekly Trsut.
Before the incident, the governor had earlier entered the residence of the trader’s next door neighbour where he immunized the grandchild of   octogenarian  Saidu Jibril. A scene was also created there. After the immunisation, the octogenarian held the hands of the governor and took him round his mud house. 
“The old man took him round from one room to the other. In fact, he took the governor to the only toilet in his compound. At the end of the day, the old man begged the governor to assist him rebuild the house,” a witness told Weekly Trust. 
The octogenarian said he didn’t allow his grandchildren to be immunized, because of the presence of the governor but that he has since embraced the vaccine. 
“I’m happy that the governor came to my house and that was why I took him round the whole compound. You know in this area, my house is the only mud house and I told him that he should assist   and give my house a facelift. He promised to do it and he has started fulfilling it because yesterday (Tuesday) builders have come to survey it and they said they will build three bedroom flat,” he said joyfully.
Reacting on the trader’s act, the ward head of the area, Adamu Garba Rabah, condemned the conduct of the trader. “We are not happy with him at all, because what he did was totally wrong. The vaccine is not harmful and we are appealing to all those who are sharing his opinion on the vaccine to have a rethink,” he said.
Governor Yero said the decision to flag-off the campaign in Rigasa ward was because of poor compliance in the area
“Though we have steady improvement considering where we were at the beginning of this year, it is just minimal when compared with the task ahead. Therefore, I want us to remain focused and determined in our quest to evolve a polio free state, because in spite of the successes we have made, we still face the challenge of missed children and non compliance as shown by report of the immunization rounds in May 2013.
“OPV is safe, it is not a contraceptive drug and it remains the only means to protect our children from the destructive menace of polio virus. We are working hard to disabuse the minds of our people on the safety of the OPV and Insha Allah, I have no doubt, we shall succeed. We have noticed that Rigasa is one of the areas in the state with high rate of non compliance,” he noted.

Source: Daily Trust