Following the violation of health, safety and social restriction directives at the funeral of Abba Kyari, Nigeria’s top opposition party has called for the prosecution of the Secretary-General of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
The Peoples Democratic Party also asked the Federal Capital Territory authorities to prosecute some of the officials present at the internment. POLITICS NIGERIA reported the death of the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu and the kerfuffle that surrounded the burial in Abuja.
Kyari who died of Coronavirus was buried at Gudu cemetery with little or no observation of the social distancing restriction by those present. This generated controversies among many Nigerians who accused the Presidency of violating its own rules. Meanwhile, the presidency and the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 – led by Mr Mustapha had apologised for the misdeed.
However, in a statement of Tuesday, PDP noted the apology by Boss Mustapha but moved for justice against him. “Our party understands that the apology came after widespread condemnation of the conduct of such government officials and other individuals at the funeral.”
“The PDP describes as unfortunate that those who make and enforce rules over ordinary Nigerians were found directly violating the same rules with impunity, thereby compromising the efforts to check the spread of the pandemic in our country,” the party’s National publicity secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, wrote.
He said: “The PDP holds that the SGF and other government officials including PTF members ought to have shown respect to the memory of Mallam Kyari by conducting themselves in a manner that should have served as a guide to other Nigerians in the fight against COVID-19.”
“This, therefore, is not an act that an apology by the SGF will serve as enough, as it does not drive home the issue at stake to the public as well as to government officials.”
“Consequently, the PDP charges the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities, in line with its actions against ordinary Nigerians who had flouted the rules, to immediately prosecute all government functionaries involved in this violation.”
“Nigerians had all watched how the FCT prosecuted residents at various mobile courts across the territory. Justice would therefore only be done and of course, seen to have been done, if the FCT toes the same line in this instance.”
The opposition party, however, urged Nigerians not to allow this development to make them lose faith in the overall multi-sectoral effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. It also charged all citizens to ensure adherence to the restriction order as well as health safety directives of social distancing and personal hygiene.
