Former executive secretary of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof Usman Yusuf, has expressed worry over the rising cases of coronavirus in Kano and reports of hundreds of “strange deaths” recorded in the state.
In a recent interview with The Sun, Yusuf accused the Kano state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, of downplaying the situation in Kano.
“The governor is lying, that is what we are saying. People are dying, in just a space of two days, three professors have died and other eminent citizens of Kano,” he said.
According to him, if urgent steps are not taken, Kano will take the whole of Nigeria down with it.
We are in trouble in Nigeria because if Kano goes down, the whole of Nigeria goes with it, as well as Africa. Kano is already going down, hundreds are dying every day; hundreds are dying every day and there is no solution,” the professor stated.
Covid-19: Nigeria is in trouble, Kano is in deep problem – Ex-NHIS boss
The ex-NHIS boss said Nigeria and Nigerians need to wake up to the reality that Kano will bring the whole of Africa down.
Yusuf said the northern state is in deep trouble as people are dying and cemeteries are filling up. He claimed that in every household there is somebody that is sick right now
The professor claims the deaths are related the ravaging COVID-19.
Kano is in deep problem; you people should go and find out. Nigeria is in trouble; Kano is in trouble, if care is not taken, Kano will kill all of us. Nigeria and Nigerians need to wake up to the reality that Kano will bring the whole of Africa down,” he added.
Reacting to Yusuf’s allegations, the Kano state commissioner for information, Mohammed Garba, accused him of playing politics with coronavirus.
He accused the former NHIS executive of trying to dent the image of the Kano governor and cause crisis in the state instead of offering a helping hand on how to solve the state’s problem.
Meanwhile, the head of the presidential COVID-19 task force in Kano state, Nasiru Gwarzo, has reportedly said the state now has a high rate of community transmission of COVID-19.
Gwarzo told the BBC Hausa that a high rate of transmission, as shown by increased testing, is currently evident when compared to the former situation.