Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed on Sunday denied being infected with COVID-19.
The minister spoke through a statement by his spokesman in reaction to reports on Saturday that he was among top government and presidential officials who recently contracted the virus, destabilizing the nation’s seat of power.
Some of the presidential aides who tested positive for the virus confirmed their status to PREMIUM TIMES, but declined to comment on the disease outbreak among other presidential aides.
Until PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported on the outbreak, officials in the First Lady’s office had concealed seaweed, saying only that attendees had been asked to go home, without giving any reason.
While some of the affected officials commented on his condition in interviews with this newspaper, Mr. Mohammed’s spokesman, According to Adeyemi, did not return repeated calls or respond to a message sent to him before our initial story was published.
The president’s senior special assistant for media and publicity, Garba Shehu, who was told by sources in the presidency to PREMIUM TIMES tested positive, confirmed his status in a text response to this newspaper. He said that he felt fine despite the positive test, but that he could not comment on the condition of other helpers.
However, a day after our story was published, Adeyemi, on Sunday, made her director’s position known in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, saying that Mohammed was neither positive for the virus nor ill.
But the minister, who demanded a retraction of the report and an apology, has not yet commented on the impacts of the pandemic in the village and how close are the aides of President Muhammadu Buhari they are currently in isolation.
Before publishing its initial report, PREMIUM TIMES tried for more than 24 hours to communicate with the minister, his spokesperson and some officials of the presidency. They did not answer multiple phone calls or respond to text messages sent to them.
In his statement on Sunday, Mohammed did not comment on the efforts made to confirm his health status and did not say what the government is doing to prevent further spread of the disease in the presidential village.
However, he said: “That report, which was first published by an online newspaper and later picked up by some of the major lapdog media outlets, once again highlights the arduous task we face in our campaign to eradicate lapdog. fake news and misinformation.
“A journalistic mantra says ‘when in doubt, leave it out.’ Also embedded in the code of ethics for journalists are the basic principles of truthfulness and precision, among others. The report in question did not meet those standards. “
The statement said the minister attended official functions between Wednesday and Friday at the village and that the report that he was excluded from the complex after testing positive for COVID-19 was incorrect and caused the minister some embarrassment, especially in one season. of happiness.
Adeyemi said the minister was at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, an extraordinary meeting of the FEC on Thursday, and also witnessed the swearing-in of the Minister of State for Works and Housing on Friday.
“All these events took place in the Villa, where the correspondents of many media are deployed.
“In fact, the Minister coordinated the press conference after the FEC on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Could he have done this from the imaginary isolation center where he was consigned by a mischievous reporter?” the statement read.
He added: “As a member of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, the Minister has an additional responsibility to lead by example.
“You would not have hesitated to publicly announce your COVID-19 status if you have indeed contracted the virus.
“After all, you are not only fully vaccinated, you have also received the booster shot, a situation that offers you different layers of protection even if you do contract the virus.
“Those who contract the virus deserve our empathy and prayers, not our stigmatization.”
Human Presidential Aides’
Meanwhile, the president’s special adviser on Media and Advertising, Femi Adesina, commented on Monday on reports that some presidential officials were with COVID-19. However, it did not provide details on the officials affected and the impact of the development on governance.
Speaking on Channels TV, Mr. Adesina said, “Well, what I like to say is that presidential aides are just human. They can get sick. If something happens to human beings, it can also happen to presidential advisers.
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“The fact that we are presidential advisers does not make us immune to certain things. If there is a virus that is ravaging society. Well, it can touch anyone.
So Mallam Garba Shehu has confirmed that yes, it tested positive but said it is mild. And I think by now, because it happened since Wednesday, by now, I should almost have beaten it if I hadn’t already. There is no cause for alarm. “
Commenting on his contact with Shehu recently, the media assistant said, “Well, I also believe in God for good. If it happens (infects me), I will recover. That’s it.”
When asked how many of the aides to the President in the House of Representatives had been infected, Mr. Adesina said: “No. That will not be within my purview to discuss maybe if you get the presidential doctor or someone on the medical side, they will tell you.
“I would not know because it is a private thing. If it happens to someone, it is between that person and possibly the doctor. It will not be general knowledge.
“So I may not be able to say.”
Adesina also dismissed the fear expressed in some quarters about the health of the president after his exposure to his aides who are believed to be infected with the virus.
He said, “Well, I think Mr. President is doing pretty well. You are doing your normal routine, following your usual schedule. But if someone close to him tests positive, that person should stay away until he tests negative again. “
“So Mr. President is following his normal schedule and routine.”
A regime of secrecy
While no one has officially denied the outbreak of the pandemic at the State House, PREMIUM TIMES, however, cannot understand why the Nigerian government has not publicly declared the status of affected public officials so that whoever is in the public who may have had contact with them within the period could isolate himself or go for tests.
It is a culture of practice among Nigerian civil servants, and particularly in the center, to hide health conditions from public servants.
From the years of the late President Umar Yar’Adua to the current Mr. Buhari, the public has always been in the dark about the nature of the ailments for which their leaders were being treated.
ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: COVID-19 devastates Nigeria’s State House as Buhari’s aides contract the virus
Many Nigerians have consistently criticized this practice, but the government has also relied on laws that support the confidentiality of a person’s health status.
How it is done in other democracies.
In December 2020, during the administration of the former president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, when many presidential advisers contracted the coronavirus infection, the American government informed the public and revealed the identities of the advisers who tested positive.
In early March of the same year, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom (UK) contracted the virus, he instantly informed the public about his health status and there were regular updates until he was discharged and declared fit to govern. again.
Shortly after returning from a visit to four West African countries, including Nigeria, in early December, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa publicly announced that he tested positive for the virus.
In addition to delegating all official responsibilities to his deputy, David Mabuza, Mr. Ramaphosa also took the opportunity to advise people not to take down the guards even after being fully vaccinated.
However, in Nigeria, the government has a culture of keeping the health status of its political leaders, including where they receive treatment, secret.
It was until the death of the late Buhari chief of staff, Abba Kyari, that Nigerians were formally told that he was being treated for the coronavirus disease in Lagos, the country’s commercial capital.