It’s now official. President Muhammadu Buhari has tested negative for covid-19 while his chief of staff, Abba Kyari, was not so lucky. He tested positive for the virus.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had tested both Buhari and Kyari, a development that kept Aso Rock staffers in suspense. The results are now out and Buhari who has had close contact with Kyari was returned negative for the virus.

The Chief of Staff, Mr. Abba Kyari tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday after his return from Germany. He was in Germany for one week (March 7-March 14) with some Nigerians to meet with officials of Siemens in Munich. The German company which had some shady deals in Nigeria some years ago is being approached again by the Nigerian government to help fix the nation’s challenges.

Many Nigerians berated Kyari arguing that as chief of staff and a non-engineer, he was not the right person to lead the Nigerian delegation or even travel out of the country. The duty of the chief of staff, they claimed, is to coordinate the office of the President and not to negotiate contracts externally.

Kyari had since his return had contacts with top government officials, he attended meetings and had encounters with Aso Rock staff and cabinet members. He is currently in isolation.

However, Aso Rock sources said he never showed any symptoms of illness until Sunday when he started to cough, prompting a test.