Femi Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s anti-vaccination champion later took the jab

 On March 30, a former Nigerian minister announced on Twitter that he had taken the COVID-19 vaccine. Strange news! For over a year since the virus was first detected in Nigeria, his name, Femi Fani-Kayode, rang a deterrent bell of anti-vaccination.

Apart from his many political jabs in opposition to the ruling party, fraud allegations and their resultant court docket cases, Mr Fani-Kayode had before that date, performed a leading role in the league of COVID-19 vaccination opposers and confronters.

At one time, he described the vaccine as a ploy to create a new world order, at some other he tagged vaccination an exercise that would result in the deaths of millions. To further dissuade his followers, he would tweet unconfirmed information and conspiracy theories being peddled towards the virus.

A regular reference for journalists, Mr Fani-Kayode was once described via a fact-checker as one who makes “bogus statements, capitalising on his massive social media followership to spur the spread of disinformation and misinformation.”

All reports on his conversion (those encountered in the course of research for this report) made references to his earlier feedback on the virus but none made pragmatic efforts in measuring the former minister’s preceding disparaging comments on his followers.

On Twitter, the announcement was greeted with combined reactions. To some, it was solely a matter of time, they knew all alongside he would be vaccinated for tour access. To others, generally those who refused to be converted alongside him, another soldier in the battle in opposition to vaccination had deserted. A few questioned his advertent deceive of many followers