The Presidency has lashed out at the former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, over comments he made regarding the “unusual deaths” and COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

It started by reminding Kwankwaso that this is a wrong time to score cheap political points, adding that it’s time to unify common purpose, so as to preserve the lives and health of Nigerian citizens.

Recall that Flavision had reported on Monday, April 27th, 2020 that Kwankwaso wrote a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, alleging that Coronavirus, not malaria was killing people in Kano, thereby faulting the claim of the incumbent and his political rival, Abdullahi Ganduje.

Kwankwaso’s letter reads in part,

Permit me, Mr. President, to draw your attention to the spike in mystery deaths among the aged population in Kano State in the last couple of weeks. Hundreds of funerals have been recorded in all the cemeteries of the eight metropolitan local governments alone.

Looking at the pattern elsewhere in the world where senior citizens with preexisting conditions were the main fatalities of the novel coronavirus, we are concerned that the inability to conduct tests in the state to determine the status of these senior citizens might be responsible for their death.

However, in a statement by Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, on Wednesday, April 29th, 2020, the Presidency said all parties must work together to eradicate the deadly virus, regardless of the political divide they belong to.

If there is reason to believe that the mortality rate in Kano due to COVID-19 is out of control, it will spell a serious development to which the best action would be for the Federal government and state government to work more tightly together to find solutions and implement together.

There is no time for energy wasted on political point-scoring, whether by current or former holders of office – or for any differences between state and federal administrations to be publicly aired. This is no time for talk. Our common purpose is to preserve the lives and health of citizens,

Shehu stated.

He promised that the Federal Government is committed to resolving the issues of the people of Kano State and would not let them down.

Recall also that president Buhari Kano ordered a 14-day lockdown in Kano, effective from Monday, May 4th, 2020, as part of the Federal Government measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state.

According to the Kano State Ministry of Health, 139 coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and five deaths have been confirmed in Kano, as of Thursday morning.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.