Buhari breaks silence on Coronavirus

…Says ‘We made efforts to prevent it’

…PDP, APC in war-of-words over COVID-19

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday expressed sadness over the entry of Coronavirus in Nigeria despite efforts made by government to prevent it.

Buhari said this in his first public comment on the disease since it was recorded in Nigeria on Friday.

Recall that a 44-year-old Italian had flown into the country from Milan, Italy, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, before heading to Ogun State where he tested positive to the virus.

He was confirmed as the first coronavirus patient in Nigeria and has been quarantined at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Yaba, Lagos.

In a statement by Mallam Garba Shehu, his spokesman, President Buhari urged Nigerians not to panic.

“President Muhammadu Buhari notes with sadness, the recent confirmation of a case of Covid-19 infection in Lagos, Nigeria.

“This was despite the ardent efforts of the government regarding preparedness and response measures put in place in our country’s borders and beyond,” the statement read.

The president urged citizens to adhere to all the safety measures disseminated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

“President Buhari, however, commends the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies whose diligence and efficiency enabled the case to be detected, diagnosed and isolated quickly, even while swift measures were taken to identify and follow up on those with whom the index patient came into contact.

“The President commends the responses of the Federal Ministry of Health and Governments of Lagos and Ogun States as well as other relevant agencies to the reported incident and calls for vigilance on the part of all citizens and responsible government agencies.

“President Buhari urges Nigerians not to panic about the news of this first case of Covid-19 in our country, as undue alarm would do us more harm than good.

“Instead, Nigerians should strictly observe the advisories disseminated by the Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation (WHO), on the best way to prevent infection,” the statement read.

Earlier on Sunday, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) engaged in war of attrition over perceived responsiveness of the Federal Government to the reported case of Coronavirus outbreak in the country.

While the PDP took the Buhari government to the cleaners for alleged docile response and lack of proactive measures in guiding against the prevalence of the virus in Nigeria, the APC knocked the opposition for playing politics with such issue of national concern, describing such as irresponsible.

The PDP in a statement on Sunday by its mouthpiece, Kola Ologbondiyan, expressed worries at President Muhammadu Buhari’s delay in standing up to the responsibilities of his office to address heightening national anxieties since the detection of the deadly COVID-19 in the country.

The party described as absolute leadership failure that President Buhari has not considered it imperative to show concern by directly addressing a panic-stricken nation even in the face of escalated national trepidations and conflicting reports.

The PDP charged the president to wake up and treat the COVID-19, deservedly, as a looming national disaster, which requires a prompt and full Presidential involvement at the top level.

“The party notes that at a critical time like this, Mr. President ought to be at the forefront in shouldering responsibility. A Presidential address would have reassured the people, reinforced government direction and multi-sectoral intervention for concerted effort to contain the scourge”, the statement read in part.

The PDP said that the quickest expectation of the average Nigerians is that the Federal Government should immediately step up its emergency response system to calm the pervading fear among Nigerians.

However, the APC has commended the Federal Ministry of Health, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Lagos and Ogun State Governments along with other health institutions, personnel and states for proactive coordination being carried out since the report of Nigeria’s first case of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The party berated politicians who could not appreciate government efforts at the federal and state levels but to castigate concerted efforts to guide against the sptead of the virus.

Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, in a statement, said while efforts by Nigerian governments are not been recognised by politically blinded Nigerians, the World Health Organisation (WHO) at a news conference for an update on the global outbreak appreciated government’s efforts.

The APC said: “We have observed with disgust the utterances of some partisans following the report of the country’s first case of Coronavirus. It is irresponsible of any political party to seek political gains from an issue that bothers on the health and well-being of all of us.

“This is a time when real patriots put in their own positive shifts in conjunction with the government. It is not a time to spread fear and rumour.

We call on all Nigerians to ignore people seeking to create panic through fake news. We all should rely only on the official sources of information on the coronavirus”.

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Reeling out proactive measures by government so far, the party claimed that “in managing outbreaks such as the coronavirus, transparent and effective communication is key and government has demonstrated this in no uncertain way through delivery of up-to-date and timely information on developments, measures being taken and progress made.

“In observation of world standard protocol on prevention and cure of coronavirus, screening and surveillance measures at the airports, seaports and designated entry points are in place. Medical facilities to deal with any eventuality are also in place and in top gear. We call on all citizens to stay alert but confident.

“Among other treatment successes being recorded in cases of coronavirus, China has shared its treatment procedure of coronavirus with Nigeria as disclosed by the health minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire.

Our handling of the Ebola outbreak was exemplary. We call on all Nigerians to remain upbeat and confident that this too will be another good outing for us”.