Femi Adesina, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, told Channels Television’s Sunday Politics that Buhari’s aides are human and susceptible to infection.
COVID-19 has been contracted by Tijani Umar, the Presidential Villa’s permanent secretary, Yusuf Dodo, the President’s Aide-de-camp (ADC), Aliyu Musa, and his senior special assistant for media and publicity, Garba Shehu.
He however added that Garba Shehu should have recovered from the virus as he tested positive last week Wednesday.
“Well, what I like to say is that presidential aides are just human. They can fall sick. If anything happens to human beings it can also happen to presidential aides. The fact that we are presidential aides does not make us immune to certain things,” he said.
‘If there is a virus that is ravaging society. Well, it can touch anybody. So Mallam Garba Shehu has confirmed that, yes, he tested positive but he said it’s mild. And I believe that by now because it’s happened since Wednesday, by now, he should almost have beaten it if he had not beaten it already. There is no cause for alarm.”
On how he was holding up since he had contact with Shehu, Femi Adesina said: “Well, I also believe God for the best. If it happens, I’ll recover. So that’s it.”
On the level of infection among Buhari’s aides, the spokesperson said: “No. That will not be within my purview to discuss maybe if you get the Presidential doctor or anybody on the medical side, they will tell you, I wouldn’t know because it is a private thing. If it happens to anybody it is between that person and possibly the doctor. It’s not going to be general knowledge. So I may not be able to say.”
Asked if Buhari is isolated as a result of the positive cases, Adesina said: “Well, I think Mr. President is quite fine, he is doing his normal routine, following his normal schedule. But if anybody close to him tests positive, that person is required to stay away till he tests again, and he tests negative. So, Mr. President is following his normal schedule and routine.”
