Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, has ordered serving Nigerian lawmakers, who recently arrived the country from foreign trips, to submit themselves for Coronavirus test.
In a leaked memo dated March 21, 2020 addressed to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Kyari expressed displeasure at the refusal of legislators to undergo Coronavirus checks at the country’s airports upon arriving Nigeria.
According to him, this could jeopardise all efforts put in place by government to curtail the spread of the deadly virus.
Kyari said,
“It has been brought to the attention of the Honourable Minister of Health recently that some members of the House of Representatives are refusing to subject themselves to medical screening at airports.
“As you are aware, these screenings are our primary line of defence and refusal by any citizen to subject to these tests is a threat to our nation.
“Accordingly, you are kindly requested to direct all members of the House of Representatives who returned to Nigeria from foreign trips to report themselves to the nearest NCDC test center with immediate effect.”
The leaked memo is however, raising some concerns as some observers believe Kyari has no such powers to give that type of order.
Recall that the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, had recently accused Kyari of giving instructions to Nigeria’s security chiefs without President Buhari’s knowledge.
This, according to Monguno, had grave danger for national security if not brought under check.
President Buhari didn’t take any step to reprimand Kyari after that episode.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Center for Disease Control on Monday announced that the country now had 35 confirmed cases of Coronavirus.
A former Managing Director of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Suleiman Achimugu, became the first person to be killed by Coronavirus in the country on Monday.
