Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has tested negative for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) following a test carried out by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Monday night.
This comes amid the Presidential Villa having been thrown into a state of panic since the result of the tests have been made public.
Villa staff, as well as journalists covering the Presidency, have been making frantic efforts to get the NCDC officials to get them tested.
An official of the NCDC volunteered that people will only get tested if they show symptoms of the virus as they do not have enough testing kits.
According to the NCDC staffer, the kits are only for those who have shown symptoms of the virus.
Kyari’s staff as well as those that have had close contact with him since his return from abroad, have been advised by the NCDC to self-isolate.
Daily Sun findings indicate that Kyari is on self-isolation at his residence and not at the Isolation Centre in Gwagwalada.
The President and Kyari, his chief of staff, had joined other Muslim faithful to observe the Friday Ju’mat’s prayer at the Presidential Villa, after undergoing multiple screenings for the coronavirus before they were allowed into the Aso Rock mosque for prayers last week.
The NCDC reportedly informed the President on the outcome of result Tuesday morning in Abuja.
A presidential source confirmed that Buhari’s test became necessary after his Kyari tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
Kyari recently returned from an official trip to Germany.
He reportedly ran the test on Saturday based on medical advice, although he was not exhibiting any symptoms.
The chief of staff had travelled to Germany on Saturday, March 7th, to meet with officials of Siemens in Munich on the Nigerian electricity expansion programme.
He returned exactly one week later on Saturday, March 14th, but did not show any symptoms of the coronavirus.
The chief of staff was seen actively carrying out his functions all through last week at the Villa.