President Muhammadu Buhari has issued a note of caution and warning to Nigerians as the presence of the feared coronavirus, codenamed COVID-19, grips the country with fear.
Early on, after the news of the arrival of an infected Italian man in Lagos broke, and later announcements had revealed that the Italian with coronavirus had traveled to Ogun State, prices of disinfectants and facemasks had quickly soared as panic buying became the norm.
The President through a statement released by the special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, expressed sadness over the confirmation of a case of Covid-19 in Lagos.
The President also praised the efforts of the ministry of health.
Many Nigerians, however, blamed the government over what they describe as a lack of adequate screening of passengers entering into the country at the airports.
See how Nigerians are reacting to the coronavirus confirmation in Nigeria below:
For instance, the country leaders told Nigerians to quarantine themselves if they notice signs of coronavirus in them. This may be seen by some quarters as a weak approach to a serious issue.
See the full statement released by the Presidency on coronavirus below:
“PRESIDENT BUHARI WARNS AGAINST PANIC ON CORONAVIRUS DEBUT IN NIGERIA
“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.
“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.
“This information is being broadcast in all available media by the Federal Ministry of Information.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
March 1, 2020″
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