Oguntade’s London party: Attendees go into isolation as two guests die
The number of people suffering from COVID-19 in the country rose to 51 on Wednesday from 18 on Thursday last week.
The National Centre for Disease Control, on its Twitter page on Wednesday morning said, “Two new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Nigeria: One in Lagos and One in Osun. Both cases are returning travellers to Nigeria in the last 7 days. As of 7am 25th March, there are 46 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria. Two have been discharged with one death.”
At 11:25pm, it said the cases had increased to 51. “Five new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Nigeria: Two in the Federal Capital Territory, two in Lagos and one in Rivers State. Three are returning travellers into Nigeria and two are close contacts of a confirmed case. As of 11:25pm, 25th March, there are 51 confirmed cases, two discharged, one death,” it stated in its Twitter handle.
The centre had on Tuesday said there were 44 cases of COVID-19 in the country. Giving a breakdown of the 44 cases, it said there were eight in Abuja, one in Bauchi State, one in Edo State, one in Ekiti State, 29 in Lagos State and three in Ogun State.
The spread of the COVID-19 and possible contact with infected persons have made prominent Nigerians to go into self-isolation.
Those who have gone into self-isolation include the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; his Edo State counterpart, Godwin Obaseki; an industrialist and founder, Eleganza Group of companies, Chief Razaq Okoya; as well as a former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba.
The Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr Asishana Okauru, has also gone into isolation.
Osoba, Okoya, the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun and his wife, Bamidele; a veteran musician, Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi; a popular businesswoman, Bola Shagaya and other prominent Nigerians attended the 80th birthday of the Nigerian High Commissioner in the United Kingdom, Justice George Oguntade, on March 10, 2020.
Osoba, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said it was true that two people, who attended the party, had died, but stated that unnecessary alarm was being raised.
On Tuesday, the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, and three of his aides became the first set of prominent Nigerians, who tested positive for the virus.
Both of them had two weeks ago returned from Germany, where they might have contracted the disease.
Kyari and the Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, had on March 9 in Germany met with Siemens officials over an electricity supply agreement signed with the company.
The news of diagnosis of Kyari and Mohammed triggered fear among ministers and governors, who mingled with them at the Federal Executive Council meeting on March 17 and the National Executive Council meeting on March 18.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, top Presidential Villa officials and the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, who had contact with Kyari went into isolation on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, disclosed that Osinbajo tested negative for coronavirus.
Taking to his Twitter handle, @Babafemi ojudu, he tweeted, “Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo tests negative.”
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, confirmed that the Vice-President tested negative. Punch
