The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Sunday debunked earlier report that he was in isolation and receiving treatment after contracting COVID-19.
Lai in a statement released by his media assistant, Segun Adeyemi, cleared the air that he was not among presidential officials tested positive for the virus and were undergoing treatment.
He stressed that report going viral in some mainstream media was influenced by his political enemies.
The statement read: “For the record, the Minister does not have COVID-19, hence he is neither in isolation nor receiving treatment anywhere.
“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 organisations were 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?
“The minister was fully vaccinated and had also taken the booster shot which was a situation that offered him different layers of protection even if he contracts the virus.
“In the best tradition of journalism, we expect the online newspaper behind this fake news not only to retract the publication, but also to apologise to the minister for causing him such embarrassment, especially in a season of joy.”
