Lai Mohammed dispels COVID-19 infection rumours

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has described as fake news the media report that he has contracted COVID-19, and he’s now in isolation where he’s receiving treatment.

Recall that a report by Premium Times published on December 25 did quote sources that some top aides of President Muhammadu Buhari have contracted the virus.

The report listed the Permanent Secretary in the State House, Tijani Umar; the President’s aide-de-camp (ADC), Yusuf Dodo; his chief security officer (CSO), Aliyu Musa, and his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu as well as Lai Mohammed as being among those who contracted the virus.

However, in a statement by the Special Assistant to the President (Media) officer of the Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi, the minister described the report as fake.

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“For the record, the Minister does not have Covid-19, hence he is neither in isolation nor receiving treatment anywhere.

“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.

Adeyemi admitted that the Minister 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 organizations 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 said 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.

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“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 stigmatization.

“The media does itself a great disservice by making ‘exclusive news’ out of beer parlor gist. Sooner or later, the truth will come out and a fake-news-peddling-organization will have its credibility dented for good.

“In the best tradition of journalism, we expect the online newspaper behind this fake news not only to retract the publication but also to apologize to the Minister for causing him such embarrassment, especially in a season of joy.”