COVID-19: Buhari asks PTF to work closely with governors

President Muhammadu Buhari has called for increased collaboration between governors and the presidential task force on COVID-19.

The president made this known during a virtual meeting with some members of the Nigeria Governors Forum on Monday.

In a statement, Femi Adesina, Buhari’s special adviser on media and publicity, said the PTF had briefed him on the next steps in the national response on the pandemic.

He said the president in turn directed the task force to work closely with the governors in educating the people and taking necessary steps to stay safe.

“I have directed that they work very closely with the Governors. The pandemic was beyond technology, power, and resources, countries that had all those, were recording the highest casualties round the world,” the statement read.

“We have to be very careful. We need to continue to educate and persuade the people to accept the reality of the situation, and do all that is necessary to stay safe.”

Present at the executive chambers where the president addressed the virtual meeting were; Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance budget and national planning; Godwin Emefiele, governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to the president; among others.

There have been reports on some governors working against the directives of the task force.

Last week, Gombe, Borno and Adamawa, asked market and religious places to reopen while the ban on large gatherings was still in place in other states.

Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation, had asked governors of the states, to weigh the consequences of their actions.