The Presidency on Sunday confirmed that some top aides of President Muhammadu Buhari have contracted the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, told Channels Television’s Sunday Politics that Buhari’s aides are humans and not immune to infection.
www.tracknews.ng reports that the Presidential Villa’s permanent secretary, Tijani Umar; the President’s Aide-de-camp (ADC), Yusuf Dodo; his chief security officer (CSO), Aliyu Musa, and his senior special assistant media and publicity, Garba Shehu had contracted COVID-19.
Commenting on the report, Adesina stated that the fact they are presidential aides does not make them immune to certain things.
He however added that Garba Shehu should have recovered from the virus as he tested positive last week Wednesday.
“Well, what I like to say is that presidential aides are just human. They can fall sick. If anything happens to human beings it can also happen to presidential aides. The fact that we are presidential aides does not make us to be immune to certain things,” he said.
‘If there is a virus that is ravaging society. Well, it can touch anybody. So Mallam Garba Shehu has confirmed that, yes, he tested positive but he said it’s mild. And I believe that by now, because it’s happened since Wednesday, by now, he should almost have beaten it if he had not beaten it already. There is no cause for alarm.”
On how he was holding up since he had contact with Shehu, Femi Adesina said: “Well, I also believe God for the best. If it happens, I’ll recover. So that’s it.”
On the level of infection among Buhari’s aides, the spokesperson said: “No. That will not be within my purview to discuss maybe if you get the Presidential doctor or anybody in the medical side, they will tell you, I wouldn’t know because, it is a private thing. If it happens to anybody it is between that person and possibly the doctor. It’s not going to be general knowledge. So I may not be able to say.”
Asked if Buhari is isolating as a result of the positive cases, Adesina said: “Well, I think Mr. President is quite fine, he is doing his normal routine, following his normal schedule. But if anybody close to him test positive, that person is required to stay away till he tests again, and he test negative. So, Mr. President, is following his normal schedule and routine.”
