FOUR governors on Thursday made known the results of their COVID-19 (Coronavirus) tests. They all tested negative.
The governors are Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) Godwin Obaseki (Edo) Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa).
Only Obaseki went into self-isolation after interacting with people who tested positive during the last Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the National Economic Council meetings in Abuja.
Akeredolu revealed via his tweeter handle.
In it, he shared a message the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro, sent to him on the result.
“Good morning sir. The result is negative. Congratulations your Excellency,” Adegbenro’s message read.
In his tweet, the governor said, “I just received the above text from the Commissioner for Health regarding my #COVID-19 test results. We give all glory to God. Wish everyone affected speedy recovery.”
Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said though Obaseki had a clean bill, he had resolved to continue with his 14-day self-isolation.
Osagie said: “I can confirm that the governor tested negative for Coronavirus when he ran the rapid diagnostic test for the virus. However, we are currently awaiting the result of more conclusive PCR test.
“The governor has decided to continue to work in self-solation and he is asymptomatic.”
Diri’s , acting Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah , announced that his boss tested negative.
Alabrah said the test result was obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) accredited laboratory in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo State.
“The result showed that Diri had no evidence of COVID-19 infection,” Alabrah said.
Officials of the epidemiology unit of the state Ministry of Health led by the state Epidemiologist, Ifiemi Iwuji, on Wednesday, taken the governor’s blood sample for the test to Irrua .
The acting CPS added, “Before the governor opted for the test, he had been inundated with phone calls and messages, following speculations on the social media that he may have been infected.
“This was fuelled by his sitting next to a Northeast state governor, who later tested positive for the virus, during the last National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja, on March 19.”
Diri expressed appreciation to Nigerians and the people of Bayelsa in particular for their concern, love and good wishes toward him and his family.
He said, I prayed for a reversal and healing for all those that have been infected by the pandemic. I had to take the test so as to douse the tension and end all the speculation.
“Besides, I needed to know my status concerning the COVID-19. I am therefore thankful to God that the result was negative as I anticipated.
“I also thank Nigerians and Bayelsans all over the world for their concern, love and prayers. I pray for everyone that has been infected by this disease to be healed.”
In Lafia, Nasarawa State, the governor and his deputy, Dr Emmanuel Akabe said they were happy that the results were made known in good time, thereby ending the fear by their families and the general public.
Akabe, who announced the development, also said a man in isolation at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital also tested negative to COVID-19.
He said: ”Governor Sule, I and the man in isolation at Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, (DASH) in Lafia have all given our samples in Lafia. The samples were taken for test at the NCDC and the results for all the three of us prove that we are negative.”