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It’s a lie I have COVID – Lai Mohammed

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It’s a lie I have COVID – Lai Mohammed

 

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has debunked the news that he has contracted the coronavirus disease and in isolation.

Mohammed said he is neither in isolation nor receiving treatment anywhere, according to a statement issued Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Adeyemi.

“That report, which was first published by an online newspaper and then latched on to by some mainstream lapdog media, once again highlights the uphill task we face in our campaign to stamp out fake news and misinformation.

“A journalism mantra says ‘when in doubt, leave it out’. Also embedded in the code of ethics for journalists are the basic principles of truthfulness and accuracy, among others. The report in question did not meet those standards,” Mohammed fumed.

The minister said he was at the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, an extraordinary FEC meeting on Thursday and also witnessed the swearing-in of the Minister of State for Works and Housing on Friday.

“All these events took place at the Villa, where the correspondents of many media organisations are deployed. In fact, the minister coordinated the post-FEC press briefing on Wednesday and Thursday. Could he have done this from the imaginary isolation centre where he was consigned by a mischievous reporter?” he queried rhetorically.

READ: PDP asks US, UK to ban Buhari, Malami, Lai Mohammed

The statement continued: “As a member of the Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19, the Minister has the added responsibility of leading by example, hence would not have hesitated to publicly announce his Covid-19 status if indeed he has contracted the virus. After all, he is not only fully vaccinated, he has also taken the booster shot, a situation that offers him different layers of protection even if he contracts the virus. For those who contract the virus, they deserve our empathy and prayers, not stigmatisation.”

Mohammed, in his signature caustic tongue, berated the Nigerian media for doing “itself a great disservice by making ‘exclusive news’ out of beer parlour gist”, saying, “sooner or later, the truth will come out and a fake-news-peddling-organisation will have its credibility dented for good.”

He said he expected the online newspaper behind “this fake news” not only to retract the publication but also to apologise to him, for causing him such embarrassment, “especially in a season of joy”.

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