Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has relayed his experience as the first person to test positive for COVID-19 in the state.
Mr El-Rufai told Funmi Iyanda on Public Eye Live that he tested positive for the disease two days after placing the state on lockdown on March 26.
“I was the first person to test positive in Kaduna to get COVID-19. Two days after I had locked down the state, I tested positive for COVID-19,” he said in the interview on June 12.
El-Rufai said having an expert in public health as deputy governor helped him manage the pandemic.
“I was very lucky to have picked a public health consultant as my running mate, Dr Hadiza Balarabe. I was criticised for it. People saw it as a Muslim-Muslim ticket; but for some reason the way and manner she emerged as my running mate can only be divine intervention,” he said.
He further revealed that the state waited for six months to appoint Dr Amina Baloni as Commissioner for Health as she was initially tied to the United Nations.
He said the commissioner and his deputy made informed decisions for the state concerning managing the deadly disease.
The governor also spoke about the lessons to be learnt from coronavirus and that he was never afraid of dying from the disease.
Among the lessons learnt, he said Nigeria must fix its weak healthcare system.
