The chief of staff to the Nigerian president Abba Kyari is dead, presidential spokesmen Femi Adesina said on Saturday morning.
“Funeral arrangements to be announced soon,” Adesina said.
Garba Shehu, the special assistant on media and publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, said Kyari died on Friday.
Kyari was suspected to have contracted the novel coronavirus when he visited Germany in early March multiple sources said. The presidency did not deny or confirm the rumours at the time.
It was only after his death that Shehu confirmed that Kyari had died of coronavirus.
“The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment,” Shehu said.
He was Buhari’s closest person in the cabinet. In fact, Buhari, while inaugurating his ministers in August, ordered them to make requests for meetings with him through his now-late chief of staff.
Multiple media reports said the president was also tested for the virus but his test came out negative. A number of top Nigerian politicians, some of whom met Kyari after his return from Germany, also took the test.
Three governors – Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde of Oyo – all tested positive for the virus. Mohammed and Makinde have since recovered.
After his death they just confirmed its covid19? Anyways, RIP
May soul rest in peace
Our God is not Sleeping is not good to do bad to masses because u have the little power in ur hand and u use it to kill people in Nigeria why And is the same people who put u on sit , God is watching every body heart and when the time comes u go and face ur Judgement in the hand of God. No peace for the wicked ones in this Earth, this is a lesson to every wicked President, Governors and the person who is wearing Face Mask acting as if his the PRESIDENT of Nigeria and to every body in this Nigeria and before You do anything in this Earth u think front and back before you do, we all in this Earth called Nigeria is Dust. Pls don’t carry ur self up and lf u do God in heaven will bring u down, this is just the beginning and when the Mr death come to u , Money can not save u.