President Mohamadu Buhari, has called on Nigerians not to panic over the first case of the Coronavirus disease that has been detected in Lagos, Nigeria, saying undue alarm would do the country more harm than good.

This was contained in a press statement released on Sunday, by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu.

The president commended the Federal Ministry of Health and other agencies for detecting and for quickly isolating the Italian National, who contracted the virus while he was in Milan.

“President Buhari, however, commends the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies whose diligence and efficiency enabled the case to be detected, diagnosed and isolated quickly, even while swift measures were taken to identify and follow up on those with whom the index patient came into contact.”

Buhari urged Nigerians to adhere to the directives from the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation (WHO), saying they have the information on the best way to prevent infection.

“President Buhari urges Nigerians not to panic about the news of this first case of Covid-19 in our country, as undue alarm would do us more harm than good.

“Instead, Nigerians should strictly observe the advisories disseminated by the Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation (WHO), on the best way to prevent infection,” the statement explained.