The Archbishop of Nigeria, Henry Ndukuba has implored people in the country to get the Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available. Speaking at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) last month, he said that “Covid-19 is already in our villages and communities. We have lost some members to Covid-19 infections. Many people are very complacent and careless because they believe it is a rich people’s disease or it is not real.

“Covid-19 is real and it kills”, he added. “Some people are peddling unfounded campaigns against the Covid-19 vaccines; they suggest that anyone receiving the vaccine will receive the anti-Christ number 666.”

He compared the virus to diseases such as polio and yellow fever, for which many people receive vaccines to prevent, and said that “the medical personnel administer drugs to cure them which does not initiate them with the 666. This vaccine is like any other that we receive to prevent diseases caused by viruses.”

Archbishop Henry urged Nigerians to live in faith and righteousness, and said they should “be careful not to propagate stories that are not true and which can only be destructive to the lives of our people”.

He pleaded with the federal and state governments to procure vaccines and make them available to all Nigerian citizens, starting with the most vulnerable. He also appealed to Anglican dioceses and parishes to continue to establish health clinics and hospitals, and thanked all frontline health workers for caring for all those impacted by coronavirus.