Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari has said that the
ongoing outbreak of meningitis in the country is a punishment from God. He said
the Type C Cerebrospinal Meningitis killing many in the country is God’s way of
punishing Nigerians for their immoral conduct.
The governor spoke in Hausa during an interview with State
House reporters yesterday after meeting President Muhammdu Buhari.
"What we used to know as far as meningitis is concerned is
the ‘type A virus’ which had been tackled through vaccinations by the World
Health Organisation (WHO). However, because people refused to stop their
nefarious activities, God now decided to send Type C virus, which has no
vaccine," the governor said.
"People have turned away from God and He has promised that
‘if you do anyhow, you see anyhow,’ that is just the cause of this outbreak as
far as I am concerned. There is no way fornication will be so rampant and God
will not send a disease that cannot be cured," Yari stated.
"The most important thing is for our people to know that
their relationship with God is not smooth. All they need to do is repent and
everything will be all right."
Asked whether leaders also need to repent, he said:
"Leaders are doing their best by enlightening the populace
and working assiduously for the good of all."
He said a meeting of stakeholders in the state had adopted a
strategy to deal with the outbreak. According to him, the five million doses of
the vaccine announced by relevant organisations against the Type C meningitis
in Nigeria "is not enough for Zamfara people alone, not to talk of Katsina or
Kano".
"Our Focus as a state now is to continue treating those who
are infected with the disease, but as for vaccination, it has an international
dimension. We have information that Nigeria will get the highest percentage of
the 5 million doses available now. Apart from WHO, other International bodies
such as the Bill Gates foundation and UNICEF are also currently focusing on how
to tackle the outbreak."
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