By Muhammad Sabiu
An exclusive report by Premium Times has indicated that top Nigerian government officials and many aides of President Muhammadu Buhari have contracted the deadly coronavirus disease.
The officials who are said to have contracted the virus include Malam Garba Shehu, Buhari’s spokesperson; Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture; Yusuf Dodo, the President’s Aide-de-camp (ADC); Aliyu Musa, his Chief Security Officer (CSO).
Mr Shehu responded to the enquiry sent to him seeking more information on the reported news of them contracting the disease, adding that he did not know the status of the other persons mentioned.
“I have no confirmation of the cases you mentioned, but yes I have been afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19. I felt okay from the beginning, maybe because one had received all three jabs, and right now, I feel 100 per cent. I just finished my hour-long running exercise.
“But the strange thing about this ailment is that it is the scientists, not you, that will say you are okay. Right now, I’m taking my prescriptions and isolating, and would go back for a test to ascertain if the virus is still here or it has left me. Thanks for your goodwill,” the presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu told Premium Times in a text message.
The infected officials, according to the newspaper publication, are currently receiving medical care.
When the results of their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing came back positive, the afflicted officials were said to have been removed from the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Amidst this ravage of the virus at the State House, there is still no official statement about the matter as the President’s status of the virus is also unknown.
