COVID-19: You Must Self-Isolate, Buhari Tells Returnee FG Officials

President Muhammadu Buhari has slammed a self-isolation order on all Federal Government officials including his Chief of Staff, Malam Abba Kyari who had just returned from Germany on an official engagement.

The President has ordered all FG officials who returned from high burden COVID-19 countries to self-isolate after some of them returned from Germany last week, refusing to embark on self-isolation.

“Some of them were reported to have been coughing loudly and continuously around the Villa last week, including at the FEC meeting presided over by the President.

“He has ordered that all FG officials who may have recently returned from a trip to any of the high burden countries `must be made’ to isolate even where they refuse to do so voluntarily,’’ Villa sources told the reporters.

The President’s daughter, who returned last week from the UK, went straight into self-isolation, according to a Tweet from the First Lady. Also, the DG of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, who visited China at the earlier days of the outbreak of the COVID pandemic, had self-isolated on return to the country.

It would be recalled that the DG while addressing the media last week Thursday after the NEC meeting at the Villa, was asked to comment on the tweet by the First Lady that her daughter who had just returned from the UK is self-isolating.

He responded praising the first family for good leadership.

A delegation of the FG led by the Chief of Staff, including the Chairman of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had attended a meeting in Germany recently and returned last week Sunday.

The Chief of Staff had gone to Germany to hold meetings with officials of Siemens on the company’s new initiative with the Nigerian government to boost power supply.

It was learned that one of the officials attended FEC last week, while the other reported at his office only to be advised by his staff to leave in line with the existing self-isolation rules of the NCDC.

The sources said large delegations would no longer be received at the Presidential Villa until further notice while any presidential events in the country with large attendance have also been canceled.

“The Presidential order is to ensure that the Presidency sets a good example regarding social distancing and discouragement of large gatherings.’’

Meanwhile, the President has cancelled FEC and the National Council of State meetings scheduled for the week.