Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, has thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for acknowledging the agency’s work in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
Buhari addressed Nigerians in a live broadcast on Sunday for the first time on the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr Ihekweazu, tweeting after the president’s broadcast, thanked him for the mention.
“Grateful for recognition given to work by @NCDCgov, @Fmohnigeria & partners by His Excellency, @MBuhari during his address to #Nigerians,” he wrote.
“Days ahead will be tough but if we jointly #TakeResponsibility in the fight against #COVID19, we can pull through faster.”
Buhari said of Ihekweazu and the NCDC in his address: “Since the outbreak was reported in China, our government has been monitoring the situation closely and studying the various responses adopted by other countries.
“Indeed, the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was one of ten global health leaders invited by the World Health Organisation to visit China and understudy their response approach. I am personally very proud of Dr Ihekweazu for doing this on behalf of all Nigerians.
“Since his return, the NCDC has been implementing numerous strategies and programs in Nigeria to ensure that the adverse impact of this virus on our country is minimized. We ask all Nigerians to support the work the Federal Ministry of Health and NCDC are doing, led by the Presidential Task Force.”
