Buhari speaks on high rate of deaths in Kano 

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that his government is with the people of Kano and will not let them down.

He said this in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic crisis and the recent deaths in the state.

Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Wednesday noted that there is a global shortage of personal protective equipment.

He listed others not readily available as testing kits and other medical devices.

The presidency observed that in every country, there are some cities and regions more severely affected than others.

“In Nigeria, there are currently verbal autopsies underway in Kano State to identify the precise cause of the sudden and rapid increase in mortality in recent days”, the statement read.

“While some may wish to believe that there are other causes at play here like hypertension, diabetes, meningitis, and acute malaria’, there are others who say it is COVID-19. We should be prepared to accept the medical and scientific result of the autopsies and work together to confront the common enemy.”

The presidency added that globally, communities with similar socioeconomic dynamics like Kano have found it very helpful, the sort of lockdown measures now imposed, with markets and other public places of worship shuttered more strictly.

“If there is reason to believe that the mortality rate in Kano due to COVID-19 is out of control, it will spell a serious development to which the best action would be for the Federal government and state government to work more tightly together to find solutions and implement them together.”

The statement urged current or former holders of office from Kano and other states in Nigeria to be united.

It added that there is no time to talk and that the common purpose should be to preserve the lives and health of citizens.