The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu has declared that there is nothing extraordinary about stopping those who attended the burial of former Chief of staff to the President, Abba Kyari, from entering the Presidential Villa.
Shehu stated this in his Twitter handle in reaction to stories that they were barred from entering the Presidential Villa, after Abba Kyari’s burial on Saturday, over the poor handling of the burial.
The statement @GarShehu, said
“There is nothing extraordinary about those of us who attended Abba Kyari’s funeral being advised to distance ourselves from the Villa”
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The presidency had earlier on Sunday, and as a precautionary measure, asked all State House Correspondents and Media Office Staff who covered/attended the funeral prayer/burial ceremony of the late Chief of Staff, at Defence House and Gudu Cemetery Abuja, respectively, to work from home for the next 14 days.
Deputy Director Communications, Attah Esa in a statement on Sunday, directed them to observe the recommended measures to prevent the coronavirus transmission, including maintaining physical distancing and good personal hygiene going forward.
The directives came 24 hours after top presidency aides who attended Abba Kyari’s burial were handed similar treatment by Villa security operatives who barred them from entering the Presidential Villa, for not observing safety rules.
This was also followed by Health and Human Services Secretariat of the FCT Administration which condemned the poor handling of the burial of former Chief of staff to the President who died of coronavirus on Friday
The FCT officials had expressed concern over the video trending on social media, showing a man pulling off his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) unprofessionally after participating in the burial of the late Chief of Staff at the Gudu cemetery, Abuja.
The Public Health Department in a statement said it has since taken necessary action over the issue.
According to the statement by Mohammed Kawu, Ag Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat of the FCTA, the said PPE left over by the individual has been professionally evacuated and the entire cemetery has been decontaminated.
“In addition, all the individuals including the man in question that participated in the burial and were not properly kitted have been identified and are being isolated.
Kawu also disclosed that the officials who were mainly aides of the President will be made to undergo the necessary tests to determine their level of exposure and ensure that they do not infect other people.
The Administration has also taken steps to ensure that all future burials of victims of COVID 19 are conducted in line with protocols established by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
He, therefore, advised residents to remain calm and be rest-assured in the FCT.
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Those who attended the burial including the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, Ahmad Rufai, and Personal Assistant on New Media to President Buhari, Bashir Ahmed, among several more persons were said to have failed to observe the necessary social distance as prescribed by officials of the NCDC
Following the development, security personnel at the Villa gate had to turn them back from entering the Villa.
