CORONAVIRUS: Buhari tells Nigerians not to panic

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians not to panic amidst the outbreak of the Novo Corona virus (COVID-19) in Nigeria. Buhari told Nigerians that the necessary thing to do was pay attention to all the preventive advisories being offered by all relevant bodies, especially the Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari commended the Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the Governments of Lagos and Ogun States for taking proactive measures to respond to the confirmed index patient of the virus.

The statement by Garba Shehu said: “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”, the statement also said.