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COVID-19: Governors in self-isolation as ministers undergo test
- Airlines suspend local flights
- Cases now 51
Following the positive COVID-19 result for Chief of Staff to the President Mallam Abba Kyari and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, some of the governors who had contact with them have gone into self-isolation.
No fewer than eight ministers have also been tested to determine their status.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who self-isolated himself has tested negative to the virus. The Presidency on Wednesday confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari tested negative.
Both Kyari and Mohammed attended high-level government meetings before the results of their test were received.
Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Godwin Obaseki (Edo) and Abubakar Sani-Bello (Niger) have gone into self-isolation.
Fayemi, who is the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) chairman, said he took Coronavirus test despite not having any of symptoms of the virus.
He however did not say the outcome of the test in the tweet in which he explained that he opted to isolate in order to protect people that may have come in contact with him.
“In the circumstance we find ourselves today, every citizen must engage in personal hygiene and take actions that can help us overcome this challenge and that is exactly what I have done.
“I had gone in contact with those having suspected cases and I felt I have to do this to help the situation…”
Adviser to Obaseki, Mr Crusoe Osagie said: “The governor has gone into self-isolation after the Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed and Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, tested positive for Coronavirus.
“The governor met Senator Mohammed at the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and National Economic Council (NEC) meetings. He also visited Mr. Kyari.”
He explained that although the governor was not showing any symptoms of the virus, “he has taken the necessary precaution to self-isolate to protect people that may otherwise come in contact with him”.
Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu said Obaseki “avoided meeting with everybody, upon his arrival in Benin City from Abuja and he maintained social distance, before going into self-isolation.
Shaibu added that six persons had been isolated in the state while samples of five of them had been taken for test.
In Minna, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sani-Bello, Mrs. Mary Noel Berje, said her boss, decided to “embark on self-isolation considering the fact that as a public figure, he must have had contact with some confirmed contact cases of COVID-19 .
“Considering the fact that I(Sani-Bello) was in Abuja the whole of last week to participate in the APC meeting with the President, the NGF meeting, NEC meeting and the World Bank breakfast meeting, as a way of leading by example, I have placed myself on isolation and waiting to be tested, along with members of my family.”
It was learnt that the governor had directed all his close aides and cabinet members to seclude themselves.
The Disease Control Unit of the Bauchi State Ministry of Health said it had directed 27 persons (mostly aides of Governor Mohammed) to self-isolate.
Twenty Osun State judges and 22 officials of Yobe State Government are currently on seclusion after returning from foreign trips.
The Director-General of Nigeria Governors’ Forum Asishana Okauru also went into seclusion having met with Bauchi State Governor Mohammed.
Okauru urged all members of the NGF and the secretariat staff invited to the last meeting of the forum to also self-isolate.
Okauru said that his wife, a former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Omoigui, and other members of his nucleus family, had also gone into self-isolation..
“I wish to inform the general public that my wife, together with my entire household, will be proceeding on self-isolation.
“We are taking this action following my exposure to His Excellency, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State who today (Tuesday) announced the positive outcome of his test for COVID-19.
“I attended different meetings of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the Nigerian Economic Council last week, which were also attended by the Bauchi State Governor.
“Consequently, my wife and I would be undergoing COVID-19 testing this week.
“All members of NGF secretariat that were exposed will also be observing self-isolation. We encourage all those who were invited to the NGF meetings for presentations to also do same.
“By our actions, we hope to encourage others who are exposed and not sure of their status to undergo self-isolation and make themselves available for the test, where applicable,” he said.
20 Osun judges, returnee Yobe officials in self-exclusion
Osun State government said yesterday that 22 judges in the state are in isolation after they returned from the United Arab Emirates.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamontu, said the judges returned to the state after attending an 11-day international conference that ended March 20 .
He said: “The judges went into isolation immediately they arrived from the United Arab Emirates last weekend to ascertain their medical status. They are in self-isolation and we are monitoring them.”
Also, 22 officials of the Yobe State Government that returned from Dubai last week have placed themselves on a 14-day self-isolation
Some of the returnees said they tested negative for the virus on their arrival from the oil-rich Emirate.
One of them said, “We were subjected to all the screening procedures both in Dubai and at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja. The good thing is that none of us was positive for the virus at the time we were all tested.
“Naturally, the global protocol requires our self-isolation and we have to undergo that before we re-unite with our families and friends. This is exactly what we are doing. We have to do that to disabuse the mind of the people of the state. The truth is that none of us will like to put our families or any citizen of the state in danger.’’
The Acting Head of the state civil service, Mohammed Nura; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Basic Education and Secondary Education, Yakubu Doskshi and the Special Adviser on Politics to Governor Mai Mala, Aji Yerima Bularafa, confirmed that the returnees had gone into self-isolation.
Akeredolu, Sule: we’re not in isolation
Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his Nasarawa State counterpart, Abdullahi Sule have denied reports that they were in self-isolation.
They said there was not nothing shameful in self-exclusion and therefore would not avoid it should the need arose
Akeredolu, who addressed reporters alongside Commissioner of Police Undie Adie said he would not have come out if he were on self-isolation.
The Director of Strategic Communication and Press Affairs to Nasarawa State governor, Mr Yakubu , said, “If indeed Engineer Abdullahi Sule goes into self -isolation, we shall make a formal statement to that effect.
“There is nothing to hide about COVID 19 in the entire world as also in Nasarawa State“
Lamai urged the public to disregard reports in some social media platforms insinuating that the governor had gone on self-isolation.
The Department of State Services (DSS) and Police have arrested a suspected People’s Democratic Party (PDP) agent, Shehu Fantagi, with about N30 million allegedly earmarked for vote-buying ahead of today’s by-elections in Kaduna State.
Fatangi was picked up on Friday evening at a hotel in the Kaduna metropolis, where he was said to be coordinating the distribution of the funds meant to influence voters in the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency election.
Reliable security sources confirmed that the suspect was caught in possession of cash running into tens of millions, allegedly intended to compromise the integrity of the polls.
The Kaduna State Police Command also confirmed the arrest.
Its spokesman DSP Mansir Hassan, in a statement on Saturday said: “In a sustained and collaborative effort by security agencies to ensure that the forthcoming by-elections in Kaduna State are conducted peacefully and without interference from criminal elements, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in conjunction with the Department of State Services (DSS) have successfully apprehended vote buyer in Kaduna.”
According to him: “At about 0330hrs of today, arrested one Shehu Aliyu Patangi at a popular hotel located along Turunku Road in Kaduna metropolis and recovered a total cash sum of Twenty-Five Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty-Three Thousand Naira (₦25,963,000) from the suspects, believed to be earmarked for the purpose of inducing voters to compromise the electoral process.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had planned to use the said amount to bribe eligible voters. On interrogation the suspect confessed to the crime and pleaded for leniency.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP RABIU MUHAMMAD psc, mni, expresses appreciation to the other sister agencies for the synergy and swift collaborative action. He warns, in the strongest terms, that anyone, regardless of status, found attempting to undermine the electoral process will face the full wrath of the law.
“The Kaduna State Police Command reassures residents of its commitment to providing maximum security before, during and after the elections, and calls on the good people of Kaduna State to go out and exercise their franchise peacefully and lawfully without fear or intimidation.”
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Bye-Election: Crisis Rocks Labour Party as Obi Directs Members to Vote for Other Party , Abure Says ‘Ignore Him’
The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to a statement by the party’s former presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, directing party members to cast their votes for another party in the August 16, 2025 bye-election. The party said that Obi’s directive is misleading, mischievous and delusional.
The party is however calling on all our faithful party members to ignore this malicious directive and go ahead with casting of their votes for the Labour Party and their candidates.
It is unfortunate that Obi has turned himself to an irony and a paradox in the Nigeria political space. He is now reputed to have elevated subterfuge in the game of politics and has of late been crying wolf where there is none. He has turned himself into “Uber” politician, not willing to take a position and stand by his decision. He has now booked a place for himself in the Guinness book of records as a person affiliated to many political parties pari pasu, all in his desperation to preside over Nigeria.
Nigerians should not forget in a hurry that it was Peter Obi that created the crisis in the Labour Party which he is now citing as a reason why people should not vote for the party. Peter Obi and Alex Otti the Governor of Abia State hosted the ill-fated and illegal expanded stakeholders meeting in Umuahia, September 4, 2024. He has also co-funded the crisis all these while and went as far as leading a protest match to INEC headquarters against his own party.
His desperation to control the soul of the party has made him go haywire.
A man that received so much goodwill from the party leadership but turned around to pay them with evil. This is why we have maintained that Peter Obi lacks the competence, character and capacity to actualise the vision of a new Nigeria.
What Obi does not know is that Labour Party is on the ballot and our candidates are contesting the election in spite of all his efforts to strangulate the Labour Party. The party unknown to him has done everything within the law to ensure that our candidates participate in the bye-election and of course in all other future election.
We are therefore encouraging our candidates, members and supporters across all the states where bye-election is holding to be focused and ensure that we carry out our civic duties by returning Labour Party and the candidates elected. Nigerians have come to know who Peter Obi is.
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday directed a review of deductions and revenue retention practices by Nigeria’s major revenue-generating agencies, in a bid to boost public savings, improve spending efficiency, and unlock resources for growth.
The agencies include the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
Tinubu gave the directive during the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday in Abuja. The President’s directive was disclosed to journalists by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.
According to Edun, President Tinubu specifically called for a reassessment of NNPC’s 30 per cent management fee and 30 per cent frontier exploration deduction under the Petroleum Industry Act. He tasked the Economic Management Team, chaired by Edun, to present actionable recommendations to FEC on the optimal way forward.
The President said the directive was part of efforts to sustain reforms that have dismantled economic distortions, restored policy credibility, enhanced resilience, and bolstered investor confidence.
According to him, these reforms have created a transparent, competitive business environment attractive to local and foreign investors in critical sectors such as infrastructure, oil and gas, health, and manufacturing.
Reaffirming the Renewed Hope Agenda, Tinubu said Nigeria’s goal of a $1tn economy by 2030 requires growth of at least seven per cent annually from 2027 — a target he described as “not just economic, but a moral imperative,” as higher growth is the surest path to tackling poverty.
He cited the July 2025 International Monetary Fund Article IV report, which he said endorsed Nigeria’s economic trajectory and the need for investment-led growth.
On grassroots empowerment, the President pointed to the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme — a ward-based initiative covering all 8,809 wards across the country — designed to lift economically active citizens through micro-level poverty reduction strategies in collaboration with states, local governments, and private partners.
Tinubu noted that public investment accounts for just five per cent of Gross Domestic Product due to low savings, stressing that optimising “every available naira” is vital, especially under current global liquidity constraints.
Edun said macroeconomic indicators were improving, with a more stable exchange rate, easing inflation, rising revenues, and debt-to-GDP ratios now within range. He described savings as the foundation of investment and said the President’s directive aims to quickly raise public sector savings by reviewing deductions and retention practices.
Meanwhile, Edun said he presented two memoranda to Council — a $125m Islamic Development Bank financing for infrastructure in Abia State, covering 35 kilometres of roads in Umuahia and 126 kilometres in Aba; and a plan to refinance N4tn in outstanding electricity sector obligations.
The electricity debt resolution will be executed in phases, with the first phase expected within three to four weeks under the coordination of the Debt Management Office and other agencies.
According to the talking points by President Bola Tinubu obtained by our correspondent, he commended members of the Federal Executive Council for implementing bold reforms “that have dismantled longstanding distortions in our economy and restored policy credibility.”
Tinubu said the reforms have enhanced economic resilience, restored macroeconomic stability, created a transparent and competitive business environment, and bolstered investor confidence.
“As a result, our economy is now better positioned to attract both domestic and foreign private investment-investment that is critical to stimulating sustained growth, creating decent jobs, and lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.
“Our Renewed Hope Agenda remains focused on achieving a $1tn economy by the year 2030. To realise this vision, we must now accelerate our efforts to achieve a minimum growth rate of 7.0 per cent by 2027,” Tinubu said.
According to him, stimulating higher growth is the only sustainable path to solving the poverty challenge in Nigeria. “The recent IMF Article IV Report, published in July 2025, also affirms this trajectory and underscores the importance of investment-led growth.
“In line with our commitment to inclusive development, I recently launched the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme-a ward-based initiative covering all 8,809 wards across the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria.
“This programme is close to my heart. It is designed to empower active grassroots economic players, using a micro-level approach to tackle poverty. We aim to bring sub-national governments and private sector partners on board to ensure efficient and impactful implementation,” he stated.
He urged governors to accelerate growth by prioritising productivity-enhancing investments, strengthening food security, and deepening collaboration with local governments to address the poverty challenge and ensuring that no Nigerian is left behind.
Speaking on savings and investment as catalysts for growth, the President emphasized the critical role of savings in catalyzing investment and growth. “Currently, public investment as a share of GDP stands at a low 5.0 per cent, largely due to insufficient public savings.
“We must urgently review and optimize our savings. This includes enhancing spending efficiency and reviewing deductions from the Federation Account, such as the cost of collection by revenue agencies, such as FIRS, Customs, NUPRC, and NIMASA, etc.
“There is also the need to reassess the 30 per cent management fee and the 30 per cent frontier exploration deduction by NNPC based on the Petroleum Industry Act. We must optimise every available Naira to sustain our momentum and finance our growth trajectory-especially in a time of global liquidity constraints.
“Accordingly, I am directing the Economic Management Team, chaired by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, to conduct a comprehensive review of all deductions and revenue retention practices, and present actionable recommendations to this Council for an optimal way forward.”
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