By Hassan Zaggi
The Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, has apologised to Nigerians for the inability to follow the right protocol during the burial of the late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, on Monday, Aliyu said that the Gudu cemetery had since been decontaminated.
According to him: “The PTF will like to acknowledge and apologise for the mistakes that were made regarding the burial of the late Chief of Staff.
“We realised that crowd control failed, we have learnt from this and we will ensure that future events are adequately regulated and follow the Task Force’s protocols.
“The Gudu Cemetery had since been decontaminated, the personal protective equipment discarded at the site; decontaminated being burned and discarded according to the NCDC guidelines.”
He, however, clarified that: “ Contrary to what is on social media, the body of the late Chief of Staff was properly prepared for burial, according to NCDC guidelines and the Islamic faith.
“The bodies of persons with COVID-19, as stated clearly by the WHO guidelines except in cases of viral haemorrhagic fever and cholera, dead bodies are generally not infectious.
“To date, there’s no evidence of persons having become infected from exposure to the bodies of persons who had died of COVID-19.
“Therefore, we will like to further assure the public that we will continue to follow the guidelines and protocols we had produced. The NCDC guidelines are very much reflecting the WHO guidelines.
“We’ll also like to assure the public that the task force takes its Presidential mandate seriously and is committed to executing it to the best of its ability.
“We ask for the public to continue holding us accountable for our actions.
“We read your comments on social media, we listen to you and also acknowledge the issues that might arise, please continue to do so, it is the only way we can continue to improve and fight this big challenges we have.”
