Press Release
Our attention has been drawn to several ill-informed and selfish calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to either disband the Presidential Taskforce for the Control of Coronavirus Pandemic or removal of our workaholic and dexterous Chairman of the taskforce, Mr. Boss Mustapha for attending the burial of the late Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari in Abuja.
In a statement released to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday evening by the National Publicity Secretary of APC Mandate Defenders, Mr. Ifeanyi Emeka, the group urged President Buhari to ignore such call as there are coming from vested interests who never wanted the country to be free of coronavirus pandemic.
We are aware of the calls by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Civil Society Coalition Against Covid-19; all demanding the removal of Boss Mustapha; a man who has been working round the clock every day including weekends to stop the spread of coronavirus pandemic and totally eradicate it from our soil.
The question is, who are these group to condemn the activities of the Presidential Taskforce when the United Nations and the World Health Organisation have expressed confidence in the leadership of the taskforce as well as its activities in the ongoing fight against the spread of the virus in Nigeria?
If there had criticised the taskforce and recommended workable solution on the best way or strategy to contain and eradicate the virus from our soil, it would have been a different ball-game, but calling for the sack of a man who has done nothing wrong is arrant nonsense and total display of selfishness over national interest.
Before the late Chief of Staff was laid to rest on Saturday last week according to Islamic rites as well as the guidelines of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Presidency had issued a statement calling on sympathizers not to attend the burial or pay condolence visit to the Presidential Villa, but when Nigerians refused to obey the directive, especially with regards to observing the social distancing guideline and use of Personal Protective Equipments (PPE’s), the Chairman of the taskforce, Mr. Boss Mustapha tendered an unreserved apology on their behalf.
Not only that, he ensured that after the burial exercise, the entire cemetery was fumigated and decontaminated so that, there would not be any form of covid-19 pandemic in the area.
So what else do they want from the Chairman of Presidential Taskforce?
Calling for his sack for an offence he never committed yet took measures to remedy the situation is unacceptable and we therefore pass a vote confidence on him as well as the activities of the Presidential Taskforce in the ongoing fight against coronavirus pandemic.
While we urge President Buhari to ignore the selfish condemnation of the taskforce, we call on Nigerians to continue to obey the NCDC guidelines as well as the directives of the Presidential Taskforce as we fight to win the war against the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.
At this juncture, we wish our Muslim brothers and sisters a very rewarding Ramadan or fast even as we urge them to use the occasion to pray for the spiritual defeat of covid-19 on our soil.
Signed:
Mr. Ifeanyi Emeka,
National Publicity Secretary,
APC Mandate Defenders
