The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari, who passed away on Saturday April 18, 2020 as a result of complications arising from the coronavirus has become the highest public officer to succumb to the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
While we join the rest of the nation to mourn the death of one of our most illustrious sons and the engine room of the Buhari administration, we however note with concerns the way and manner his case was handle right from when an online newspaper, Sahara Reporters broke the news of his testing positive to the virus to his death and burial at Gudu cemetery in Abuja over the weekend.
Government barefaced contempt for its own rules and regulations on the management of Covid-19 patients; the unnecessary secrecy and utter disdain and disregard for procedures in the handling of Covid-19 corpse and exposing the lives of several others to risk are worrisome.
What we have witnessed since March 24 when Kyari tested positive to the virus has been nothing short of double standards in the application of the rules, by government, the NCDC and the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19. It has been one set of rules for the ordinary citizens and another set of rules for the politically connected, the usual Nigerian way. They still fail to realise that Covid=19 knows no rich or poor, the politically connected or those that straddles the corridors of power.
The late CoS tested positive to the disease on March 24 after visits to Germany and Egypt. Reports have it that on his return from these highly pandemic areas he refused to self-isolate, which is the standard government requirement. He continued to mingle with people spreading the virus, until he came down with serious symptoms of the disease.
Even after testing positive, Kyari still refused to make his status public until the story was broken by Sahara Reporters. Also as against standard regulation as rolled out by government on the management of Covid-19 cases, Kyari checked himself into a private hospital.
No one called him to order! Kyari missed the opportunity to demonstrate to the rest of Nigerians the seriousness of the situation and set the right example that we are in a crisis situation that requires the cooperation of all no matter how highly placed. He carried on, business as usual.
In all, the Presidential Task Force, (PTF) should also be held to account. It broke its own rule to cover an individual and put the lives of millions at risk. It kept saying a ‘presidential aide’, avoiding to name the Presidential aid.
Even after his cover was blown by Sahara Reporters, Kyari said he had made private arrangements to be managed in Lagos, no one questioned his decision which was against government’s own regulations that barred private hospitals from treating Covid-19 patients or risk been shut down.
He checked into a private hospital and the PTF conveniently looked the other way. Why wasn’t Kyari cared for in an isolation centre like every other Nigerians stricken with Covid-19?
What should happen to the management of the hospital for violating government directives?
Why was the name of the hospital shrouded in secrecy, thereby putting the workers in the hospital and visitors at risk who may not know that a Covid-19 case was within their premises?
Has the federal government rescinded its order that private hospitals should not manage Covid-19 cases?
If truly the hospital in question was accredited to manage Covid-19 cases why was the announcement made retroactively after public outcry?
Was this show of power and secrecy necessary at a moment of national health crisis?
Why was his body released for burial when those of others were not?
Why can’s all of us come together as a nation for once to fight what ails us all?
By this very act are we not encouraging others especially highly placed politicians to go into hiding and seek personal arrangement to management themselves if they should come down with Ciovid-19?
These are posers that places a moral burden on the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.
Perhaps of most concern to many Nigerians is how the corpse of the late Abba Kyari was handled before his final interment.
The large crowd of sympathises who
mingled freely inspite of the social distancing rule, the viral video on how a pallbearer carelessly disposed his PPE, raises a lot of questions and our seriousness in handling this pandemic.
Must worrisome is the fact that even the Head of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha, was at the burial grounds, mixing freely disregarding the rules he daily dishes out to Nigerians.
Are we going to continue like this? Are we serious at all in this country or do we still see this as a joke?
Are we waiting for the dare prediction about, “dead bodies on the streets of African countries” including Nigeria before we wake up from our slumber?
Surely Kayri’s death in the hands of Covid-19 raises a lot of posers on how we have managed and mismanaged the coronavirus pandemic so far. There have been no seriousness, it has mostly been mere talk and daily briefings by the PTF with no concomitant action.
There is danger ahead if we continue on this path. Government must wake up from its present lethargy and provide coordinated leadership in the management of this pandemic.
The PTF as presently constitute is not working and should disbanded, and a more focused and professionally constituted body backed by the full powers of the federal government inaugurated to take charge of this pandemic.
