The Presidency has directed all State House correspondents and the Media Office staff who attended and covered the funeral prayer and burial of the late Chief of Staff, at Defence House and at the Gudu Cemetery Abuja, respectively, to stay off the Presidential Villa, ostensibly for violating President Buhari’s order on social distancing.
A statement signed by Attah Esa, a Deputy Director of Information, directed the newsmen to work from home for the next 14 days. The Presidency further enjoined the newsmen to be careful and observe the recommended measures to prevent the coronavirus transmission, including maintaining good personal hygiene and social distancing going forward.
Kyari died of coronavirus on Friday at the First Cardiology Consultants in Lagos. His corpse was flown to Abuja where he was interred at a short ceremony attended by tens of people. Eyewitness accounts, video clips and pictures from the burial site showed that many who were in attendance were not properly kitted to attend such a ceremony.
In a related development, Mohammed Kawu, the acting secretary of Health and Human Services Secretariat, FCT Administration disclosed that individuals who were not properly kitted at the burial have already been traced and are being isolated. One of the officials that carried out the burial was also seen in a viral video disposing of his personal protective equipment (PPE) near the scene of the burial without taking proper precautions. The presidential order on social distance was also clearly violated.
Authorities said the PPE left over by the official has been professionally evacuated and the entire cemetery decontaminated.
“All the individuals including the man in question that participated in the burial and were not properly kitted have been identified and are being isolated,” Kawu said. “Necessary tests will be conducted on all of them to determine their level of exposure and ensure that they do not infect other people.” The FCTA said it will take steps to ensure that all future burials of victims of COVID 19 are conducted in line with protocols established by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The Presidency had in the wake of the outbreak of the coronavirus in Abuja, scaled down the number of media organizations permitted to cover its activities following the devastating effect of the pandemic. A statement had announced that the Presidency will allow only NTA crew, Channels TV crew, TVC crew, FRCN reporter, VON reporter, NAN reporter, The Sun Reporter, and Photographers from the stables of ThisDay, Leadership, Daily Trust, The Guardian, Vanguard and Deutsche Welle (a foreign medium) into the precinct of the Villa.
“These correspondents are to enter the Villa for media coverage of any event beginning from Wednesday, March 25, 2020, until further notice as the COVID-19 incidence will dictate.” The decision, according to officials, is to reduce the number of persons who daily visit the Presidential Villa, Abuja to carry out sundry activities. The enforcement, according to the officials, was in compliance with the Federal Government’s stay-at-home order to avoid mass congregation of any kind as well as non-essential outings, until further advice is given.
Meanwhile, as Nigerians await the appointment of a new Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Buhari, the League of Former Parliamentarians (LFP) has urged the president to appoint Senator Abba Ali. LFP told journalists in Owerri that Ali was best suited for the job of CoS, being a sound lawyer and educationist. In a resolution signed by former acting governor of Imo State, Kelechi Iwuagu, Alhaji Gambo Sallau, AbdulAziz Gafasa and Kabiru Rurum, they assured Buhari of their candidate’s competence and capacity to serve meritoriously as CoS. The former parliamentarians said that Ali possessed all the noble attributes Buhari ascribed to the former CoS, describing him as “a detribalised Nigerian.” Part of the resolution read: “While we commiserate with President Buhari on the loss of his former Chief of Staff, we wish to urge [him] to appoint Senator Abba Ali into the position to assist him in the onerous duty of serving Nigerians.
