sack forthwith the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force(PTF) on
Covid-19 from that special intervention platform (PTF) and to compel him
and other members of the committee who violated the NCDC’s protocols on
burial of dead bodies from COVID-19 AILMENT by attending the burial of
the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari Mallam Abba Kari
without observing social distancing rules to self quarantine and to
subject themselves to the prosecutorial powers of the mobile courts in
Abuja handling cases of violations of the LOCKDOWN order by the Federal
government.
HURIWA said the apologies tendered by the discredited Chairman of the
PTF Mr. Boss Mustapha was insufficient to atone for the gross
misjudgement and the flagrant breach of the fundamental law guiding the
declaration of lockdown in Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari as a
way of containing the spread of the CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA just
as the Rights group said allowing the Chairman to continue to preside
over the strategic task force on CONVID-19 will pass the impression to
millions of people around the World that Nigeria is a Country of two
laws- one for the commoners and the others for the ruling elite who are
apparently above the law. The Rights group said it will be a complete
manifestation of tolerance for lawlessness should no action be adopted
to penalize Boss Mustapha as well as the Senior Special Assistant on
Media to the President Mr. Garba Shehu.
HURIWA in a statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel
Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf said
that it was disgraceful and an unmitigated insult on our collective
national psyche for Mr. Boss Mustapha to boldly flout the established
protocols made by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and thereby
putting the lives of the rest of the public in Abuja at grave risks of
contracting the severe flu virus which has no known cure at the time
being and to have the temerity to still attend the National briefing
session of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 in the nation’s
capital.
“It is unimaginable that in this same Abuja the seat of political power
of Nigeria and the custodian of the central law making organ for the
entire nation that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation who
should show good example is the person that led some other members of
the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to abuse and disobey clearly
established laws and regulations meant to keep Nigeria safe but he is
being treated as a SACRED COW whereas hundreds of poor residents of
Abuja and Lagos such as Jenifer Akindele who committed same infractions
of violating the Social distancing rules were prosecuted and convicted.”
HURIWA maintained also: “We must never create the impression that some
persons are bigger than the law. It is in that frame of mind that we
believe that the right cause of action is for the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation and other members to honourable quit the
Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 and present themselves to the mobile
Court in Abuja to be prosecuted for the offences of violating the Social
distancing rules just like all other Nigerian Citizens who have been so
prosecuted. He has to exit the PTF or be sacked by the President. In
other civilised climes such a person would even be sacked from his
political position. But we are not going as far as demanding that he be
dismissed from the position of the SGF because he is the only CHRISTIAN
holding a strategic national positions under a highly sectional
administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. But we are recommending
his sack from the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 “.
HURIWA quoted Boss Mustapha as tendering apologies thus: “The burial of
the late Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, on 18 April 2020, has
attracted a lot of concerns from Nigerians over the
non-adherence to the physical distancing measures and mass gathering
restrictions at the Gudu Cemetery.
The nonobservance of physical distancing and the flouting of mass
gathering restrictions at the cemetery were due to the failure of
crowd control measures.
We acknowledge that mistakes were made, we have learnt from these
mistakes and would ensure that future events are adequately regulated in
accordance with the Presidential Task Force and the Nigerian Centre for
Disease Control (NCDC) protocols.”
HURIWA however dismissed the hurriedly packaged apologies from Boss
Mustapha as too little too late and in any event the Rights group said
there was no better way of telling Nigerians that the current
administration tolerates impunity and disregard for the laws than to
allow the discredited Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on
Covid-19 Mr. Boss Mustapha as well as other members who flouted the
protocols to remain on THEIR seats as members of a body (PTF) driving
the process of implementing a national response to the rampaging
Covid-19 disease. ” We must demolish this mountain of hypocrisy being
erected by the Federal government and we must insists that the laws,
Rules and regulations must be respected by all and sundry because the
Rule of law is paramount and nobody is above the law.