The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss
Mustapha and some other members of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on
COVID-19, who were at the burial rites of the late Chief of Staff to the
President, Mallam Abba Kyari, did not self isolate in line with the
directive from Presidency.
They all attended the daily briefing
of the task force on Monday. Many Nigerians had condemned the conduct of
those present at the burial of the late Kyari last Saturday.
Some
of the attendees of the burial ceremony were barred from the
Presidential Villa advised to immediately commence 14 days
self-isolation.
Those at the burial rites were: SGF Boss
Mustapha, National Coordinator, Dr. Sani Aliyu; Minister of Aviation,
Hadi Sirika; Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and Minister of
Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Services, Sadiya
Farouq, who was at the Defence House resident of the late chief of
staff.
Sadiya Farouq was the only one who did not attend the
Monday’s briefing.The SGF, in his opening address, admitted that
mistakes were made and regretted the PTF’s actions.
Mustapha
said: “The PTF recognizes, regrettably, the unintentional violation of
the principles and protocols that form the core of our messaging to
Nigerians, at the funeral of the late Chief of Staff.
These
principles for emphasis, include: the guidance provided on mass
gatherings; social distancing; Personal Hygiene; and restriction of
movements. “Lessons have been learnt and appropriate measures have been
taken to close all gaps.
We
assure all Nigerians of safety & the determination of the PTF to
combat the pandemic.” On his part, the Nat. Coordinator of the task
force, Dr. Sani Aliyu, who was also at the burial and equally attended
the Monday briefing, apologized for the mistakes made at Kyari’s burial.
He said: “The PTF will like to acknowledge and
apologise for the mistakes that were made regarding the burial of the
late Chief of Staff. We realised that crowd control failed, we have
learned from this and we will ensure that future events are adequately
regulated and follow the task force’s protocols.
“The Gudu
Cemetery had since been decontaminated, the personal protective
equipment discarded at the site; decontaminated being burned and
discarded according to the NCDC guidelines.
Body well
prepared – Aliyu The National Coordinator of the task force said Kyari’s
body was properly prepared in line with the Nigeria Centre for Disease
Control, NCDC’s guidelines.
He said: “I would like to
further clarify the issue of COVID-19 and the burial processes. Contrary
to what is on social media, the body of the late Chief of Staff was
properly prepared for burial, according to NCDC guidelines and the
Islamic faith.
“The bodies of persons with COVID-19, as stated
clearly by the WHO guidelines except in cases of viral haemorr-hagic
fever and cholera, dead bodies are generally not infectious.
To
date, there’s no evidence of persons having become infected from
exposure to the bodies of persons who had died of COVID-19. “Therefore,
we will like to further assure the public that we will continue to
follow the guidelines and protocols we had produced.
The
NCDC guidelines are very much reflecting the WHO guidelines. “We’ll also
like to assure the public that the task force takes its Presidential
mandate seriously and is committed to executing it to the best of its
ability.
We ask for the public to continue holding us
accountable for our actions.“We read your comments on social media, we
listen to you and also acknowledge the issues that might arise, please
continue to do so, it is the only way we can continue to improve and
fight this big challenges we have.
“The task force will like to
acknowledge the prime role that the Chief of Staff played in
establishing the Presidential Task Force, he fired the first shot
against COVID-19. We will continue to honour his memory and we will
continue to do everything possible to overcome this pandemic.”
Source: Dailytrust.com.ng