President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday made a statement on coronavirus asking Nigerians to remain calm over the announcement of the Covid-19 first case in the country
The presidency has released the statement below telling Nigerians not to panic over the coronavirus.
The coronavirus first case in the country was announced last week after an Italian who arrived in Nigeria was diagnosed with the disease. The patient has since been quarantined.
The disease has caused about 3,000 deaths globally, the majority in China where the disease originated from.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, Mr Buhari urged 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.”
Read the full statement below…
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.
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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
