The Presidency made angry reactions on Thursday to the critics of the President Muhammadu Buhari even as it insisted that he was on top of ensuring that the coronavirus pandemic was tackled in Nigeria.
It accused the President’s critics of having “diseased” minds full of evil and good only for peddling lies against him and his regime.
Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, tweeted on Thursday that there were people who were simply evil when they “concoct” lies against his principal.
Aside from the audio, several commentators in the past days did not spare Buhari when they accused him of being taciturn in the face of the pandemic and doing little to reassure Nigerians.
But, checks on Thursday, indicated that the President was at his residence, as his office was evacuated for fumigation by experts.
It was gathered that intensive fumigation of the State House started on Thursday when the experts arrived at the Villa about 9.30am.
The exercise was planned to cover all the offices and environment of the Presidential Villa. All occupants in designated offices were asked to vacate them, including cleaners attached to the Council Chambers and the press gallery.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, on Thursday said a presidential aide who tested positive for coronavirus was not in a critical condition.
He said the aide was at an isolation centre where people with mild symptoms of coronavirus were being were treated.
While giving an update on the situation in Abuja, the minister said he had no authority to mention the name of the aide, but stated that he was not admitted into the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Centre isolation centre in Gwagwalada.
The minister said that all those who had been in contact with the aide had been tested, saying all the tests came out negative.
He said, “An aide to the President that tested positive for coronavirus is in a secure place somewhere. Those with severe symptoms of the virus are taken to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (isolation facility). Others will be taken to a facility where they can be taken care of.
“The (Presidential) aide who tested positive is receiving treatment in a secure facility in Nigeria. He requires only a general medical treatment.”
The minister stated that Lagos State would get the biggest share of the Jac Ma Foundation coronavirus responsive kits donated to Nigeria. The kits were brought to Abuja on Wednesday via an Air Force plane after they were deposited in Lagos.
While responding to NMA’s allegation that there were no adequate ventilators at the nation’s designated isolation centres, Ehanire said there were enough ventilators in hospitals and that they were not always required for use except in severe cases.
