Buhari's daughter Zahra placed in isolation for two weeks after arriving from the UK

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari's daughter Zahra has gone unto self-isolation after recently returning from the UK amid fears that she may have brought the coronavirus back to Nigeria with her.

Highly controversial, Zahra Buhari, 25, who studied photography in the UK has been in the news a lot lately after she was reported to use the presidential jet for personal purposes. She also recently secured a job with Nigeria's Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency as a deputy manager, despite having no experience of working in the crude oil sector.

Earlier today,  Zahra returned from the UK and immediately went into self-isolation at the recommendation of  health officials. This decision to quarantine her is based on the fact that the UK is one of the high-risk countries on Nigeria’s current travel ban list, as the world battles the coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic that has killed over 8,000 people globally.

Aisha Buhari, Zahra's mother and the president's wife, said: “Earlier today, my daughter returned from the UK being among the high burden listed countries of Covid-19. Based on the advice of the minister of health, the presidential task force on Covid-19 and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), she is in self isolation, not because she displayed any symptoms.

“Please I urge all parents to do the same if possible, as prevention is better than cure. Similarly, I have shut down my office for two weeks with immediate effect while essential staff can work from home as a result of some staff who recently returned from the UK.

“I commend the north-western governors including Niger and Kwara on preventive measures taken to curb the spread of Covid-19 at their security meeting yesterday in Kaduna. Let’s keep following the advice of the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC, which encourages maintaining social distancing, high hygiene culture through regular washing of hands with soaps and sanitizers.

“Let’s adopt preventive measures and ensure the safety of our families and that of the general public. We will overcome the Covid-19 pandemic if we all take the necessary precautions at the same time."

Nigeria has confirmed 12 cases of the coronavirus, although so far, none of them have proved fatal.  Two cases, including that of the index patient, have now recovered or tested negative for the virus but the government recently introduced new laws recommending that visitors from 13 countries including the UK, US and China be placed in isolation for 14 days whenever they land in Nigeria.