National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political group, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, on Monday said Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has further ruined his reputation over his statement that families of dead Coronavirus patients cannot claim their corpses for burial, which was ignored by the Presidency last weekend.
Many Nigerians have condemned what they described as the double standards by the Nigeria Presidency in the burial of Abba Kyari, former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari who died last week Friday due to complications from Coronavirus and was buried at Gudu Cemetery, Abuja on Saturday.
Odumakin, in an article, said: “The height of embarrassment was the airing of the funeral on national television and the crowds that thronged to the venue without recourse to social distancing aimed at curtailing the spread of the virus.
“Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed further had his reputation ruined over Kyari as he declared matter-of-tacitly on 3rd April that families of dead Coronavirus patients would not be allowed to have their bodies for burial because such corpses are property of the Federal Government”.
“He said, “Coronavirus is very dangerous and contagious; there is no medicine for it yet and it is not just capable of killing, overwhelming health care system but it will destroy the economy.But the statement Femi Adesina issued on the death of Kyari mentioned that burial plans would be announced”.
“And very soon a national burial site was underway for Kyari with thousands of attendees including many operatives of the Presidency who have now been barred from returning to the villa in a big embarrassment to the dysfunctional nature of government in our unserious country”.
“The height of our irresponsibility was the airing of the burial on major TVs with crowds milling around the corpse on which blood was still dripping with all the exposures of the attendees to serious infections”.
“It was after all these violations that the disease control agency started issuing some guidelines that must be followed on burials by other Nigerians who may lose relations who are non-cabal?”
“How can this government in good conscience continue to sing its songs on COVID -19 after all these shenanigans? Well, in the same manner it rakes against corruption anyway!”