I don’t have COVID-19, says Lai

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says he has not contracted the COVID-19 virus. 

There were reports that the minister contracted the virus and had been in isolation.

But Segun Adeyemi, the minister’s media aide in a statement on Sunday, said his principal is healthy and not receiving any treatment.

“For the record, the Minister does not have Covid-19, hence he is neither in isolation nor receiving treatment anywhere,” the statement reads.

“The Minister was at the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, an extraordinary FEC meeting on Thursday and also witnessed the swearing-in of the Minister of State for Works and Housing on Friday.

“All these events took place at the Villa, where the correspondents of many media organisations are deployed. In fact, the minister coordinated the post-FEC press briefing on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Could he have done this from the imaginary isolation centre where he was consigned by a mischievous reporter?

“As a member of the Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19, the minister has the added responsibility of leading by example, hence would not have hesitated to publicly announce his Covid-19 status if indeed he has contracted the virus.

“After all, he is not only fully vaccinated — he has also taken the booster shot, a situation that offers him different layers of protection even if he contracts the virus.”

Adeyemi added that those who contract the virus deserve empathy and prayers, not stigmatisation.

Meanwhile, Garba Shehu, senior special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, tested positive for COVID-19.

Shehu told Channels Television on Saturday that he is currently in isolation.

He said he is experiencing mild symptoms of the virus, adding that he would undergo further tests to ascertain his status.