PTF expresses displeasure over Naira Marley’s concert, says FCT will decide his fate

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has expressed displeasure over the concert Naira Marley held on Saturday in Abuja, despite the ban on large gatherings amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Hip-hop artiste, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, held a concert at the Jabi Lake Mall on Saturday in contravention of the PTF directive geared towards curbing the spread of the novel virus. The event had a lot of people in attendance and this led to an outrage.

The National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr. Sani Aliyu, addressed the development on Monday during the daily COVID-19 briefing. Aliyu said Naira Marley’s fate, will be determined by the Federal Capital Territory Administration. He added that the PTF supports any sanction against the musician.

He said: “With regards to the fate of Naira Marley, I believe the FCT authorities have already taken action with regards to the chief organizers.

“But the decision on whether or not he will face penalties etc is actually a decision of the FCT authorities.

“The PTF will always support any measure taken against people who continue to violate the guidelines we have put in place, particularly if they are putting public health at risk.”

The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said there are no plans to trace those who attended the concert.

Ihekweazu said: “On the plan whether we are going to track the people that came for the Naira Marley concert, no. We have a lot more important work to do than to do that, but if we have a positive from that community, we have a problem.

“We do have a problem if we have someone that went to that gathering and turns positive. We hope that doesn’t happen.”