President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday evening removed his protective mask in public, thereby flouting the Coronavirus Disease Health Protection Regulations (2021) he signed in January.
This comes just a few days after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed a case of Delta COVID-19 variant in Nigeria.
The President had on Tuesday evening attended a dinner with members of the National Assembly, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
Photos of the event posted by the Personal Assistant to President on Broadcast Media, Buhari Sallau, showed that the President arrived at the event with his mask on but later removed it inside the conference hall.
Also, photos of the event showed the President (without a mask on) interacting with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, who all had their masks tightly fitted.
This online platform understands that Tuesday evening was not the first time the President removed his mask in public; he had removed his mask in January 2021 at a public event in his hometown in Daura, Katsina State.
The Peoples Democratic Party and many Nigerians on social media had slammed the President for the contravention of the regulations which made the use of face masks in public places mandatory among other measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
The regulations also stipulate a fine or six months imprisonment or both for violators.
