COVID-19: Diri denies having contact with Abba Kyari

TRACKING____Bayelsa state Governor, Douye Diri said he had no contact with the Chief of Staff to President Muhamadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, who has tested positive of COVID-19.

The governor stated this on Wednesday, when he visited the isolation centre, located at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH), Okolobiri in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa state.

He urged citizens of the state to maintain personal hygiene and avoid social gathering of more than 50 persons, as those are ways to prevent the spread of the disease.

“In all, pandemic has no place in Bayelsa state; the only way it will not have a place is if as citizens from the high to the low, we all have to shut-down and remain at home unless for essential services.

“For us here, we are happy that the NDUTH is producing the hand sanitizer, so we will ensure that the state government partners with them,” he said.

On the aspect of having contact with anyone infected with the coronavirus, he said: “I have no link with Bala Mohammed and Abba Kyari, the chief of staff to President Buhari.

“What happened was that we had a meeting; after that we now had the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting. We normally sit in alphabetical order and immediately after Bauchi is Bayelsa on Thursday last week that we had the meeting.

“So, before then he had not had any contact with Atiku’s son or with Abba Kyari, as earlier speculated.

“In that meeting, Kyari was not there, we were told that he was somewhere in Germany. So, actually I am even taken by surprise, where and how the speculation is coming from that I had contact with the President’s chief of staff.

“Bala Mohammed, yes, we are neighbours, so to speak and before then he had not met with the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari and immediately after his seat is mine during any national meeting,” he said.