THE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has condemned the former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdul-Aziz Yari for refusing to obey airport COVID-19 guidelines on grounds that he is a Very Important Person (VIP).
The Airport authority made this known via a series of tweets on its official Twitter handle on Wednesday.
According to FAAN, Yari ‘blatantly violated’ public health procedures on travel at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on Saturday July11, 2020.
“He refused to adhere to the protocols and procedures put in place by the Federal Government through the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID19 by forcefully pushing away an officer of the Environment Department when he insisted that his luggage must be disinfected,” FAAN wrote.
FAAN added that while he refused to allow his luggage to be disinfected, he said the officer should have known that he is a VIP.
The Airport authority noted that the former governor’s action was ‘irresponsible’ as it endangered the lives of the public most especially other airport users.
“This irresponsible act endangers all other airport users, it is unacceptable, and as such it has been duly escalated,” the tweet read.
FAAN further said this should serve as a caution to ‘VIPS’ and other airport users to comply with the Presidential Task Force directive on COVID-19.
“FAAN hereby cautions all airport users, especially our esteemed VIPs, to please respect the Presidential directive by observing the Public Health travel protocols put in place to protect all air travellers against infection and the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the FAAN further stated.
Earlier in 2017, Yari had said God sends strange diseases with no cure to torment the people for turning their back on Him.
The former governor made this comment while addressing questions from State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa Abuja after a private meeting with President Muhammdu Buhari on Tuesday 4, April.
He said the outbreak of Type C Cerebrospinal Meningitis in the country was a direct punishment from God to the people of Nigeria for their various sinful acts.
“People have turned away from God and he has promised that ‘if you do anyhow, you see anyhow’ that is just the cause of this outbreak as far as I am concerned.
“There is no way fornication will be so rampant and God will not send a disease that cannot be cured,” Yari had said.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94