Trump calls Buhari over COVID-19

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday had a phone conversation with United States President Donald Trump over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.

He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari today had a phone conversation with President Donald Trump at the request of the American President.

“The conversation centred on Nigeria’s response to COVID-19 pandemic.”

Mohammed revealed that the conversation of both leaders centred on the efforts of the Nigerian government to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the information minister, President Buhari used the opportunity of the phone conversation to brief the American leader on the steps Nigeria was taking to curb the spread of the disease.

He noted that Trump, on his part, declared his country’s support for Nigeria and promised to support the government’s effort with ventilators and other equipment.

Mohammed said, “President Trump assured that the United States stands in solidarity with Nigeria in this difficult time and promised to send ventilators to support the country in its fight against the pandemic.

“President Trump also extends his best regards to the people of Nigeria.”

The US on Tuesday surpassed the one million mark for coronavirus infections, with about 58,000 deaths, according to John Hopkins University.

Nigeria, meanwhile, recorded a 115 infections Tuesday to bring its toll to 1534. So far, 44 people have died from the pandemic in the country.