With all the noise, Kogi State made just one covid-19 test since February — NCDC revealed

Of the 36,899 covid-19 tests conducted by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Kogi State is according to NCDC, the only State to have conduct just a single test.

While Kogi is yet to record its first case of the virus, it's single test is especially concerning considering the rate at which positive tests of the virus has been rising in the country and now sits well over 6000 cases since the index case was recorded in February, 2020.


Thirty-four states of the federation and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory have been hit hard by the virus, with Lagos state having the highest figures of confirmed cases and fatalities.

The NCDC had visited Kogi state in the first week of May, but the state claimed that the agency’s officials “fled” the state when they were asked to undergo tests for COVID-19.

The Kogi State government through the State's Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Haruna, had claimed the state was put under pressure to declare that it has COVID-19 cases where there is none. But vowed to not succumb to the pressure.



The statement by the Commissioner followed a report, which claimed that four persons suspected to be COVID - 19 patients had died at the Federal Medical Centre , Lokoja in the last one week.

He said that as the state commissioner for health, a member of the Governing Board of the FMC Lokoja, and also the incident manager for COVID - 19 in the state, he had yet to be informed of any claimed cases.


“There is also a representative of the FMC Lokoja in the state’s squadron against COVID - 19 / Lassa fever and never for once was any such case raised in our meetings.

The commissioner alleged that the aim of those putting pressure on the state was to politicise the situation as they are not happy that the current administration has been scored high by local and international observers on health care.