The Nation Newspaper

Category: Travels on Saturday

  • Brand South Africa identifies Nigeria as key market

    Brand South Africa identifies Nigeria as key market

    Brand South Africa, the agency responsible for creating positive and compelling brand image for South Africa has identified Nigeria market as a key focus for its Africa programme.

    This was disclosed by Miller Matola, Brand South Africa Chief Executive Officer at the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce (NSACC) breakfast meeting in Lagos.

    The Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting is a monthly event which brings together individuals and corporates with vested business interest in both Nigeria and the South African economies.

    The theme for the August 2014 NSACC event which is sponsored by Brand South Africa is’Africa’s Competitiveness  Nigeria/South Africa, Cooperation or Competition’.

    According to Matola, the choice of Nigeria along-with Angola, DRC, Ghana, Kenya and Senegal as key markets is informed by South Africa’s foreign policy, both political and economic diplomacy as well as trade and investment imperatives.

    Matola mentioned the importance of the South Africa nation brand viz-a-viz the promotion of the African brand in view of developing the continent as a whole and competing at par with international standards.

    “Brand South Africa pursues its Africa Programme with an emphasis on promoting the South Africa nation brand as part of the continent brand, ‘Brand Africa’; therefore Africa’s reputation and competitiveness is central to that agenda,” Matola stated.

    He challenged the organized African business and corporate brands to invest in changing the perception of Africa from negativity to positivity.

    The Brand South Africa CEO said, “There is no doubt about the power of commercial brands to convey the overall brand of their country of origin  be it innovation, excellence or quality –  which will result in investment in changing the narrative about how Africa as a continent is perceived.”

    Matola stressed the importance of the African nations having in-depth working and friendly relationships drawing conclusions from the 2013/14 Project Thrive Study on the familiarity of Nigerians with South Africa.

    The study indicated that the average familiarity rate about South Africa amongst Nigerians stands at 46 per cent  and only 18 per cent of the sample has a high knowledge base of South Africa.

    He advised that it is imperative for each of the African nations to reflect a collective unity of the continent in order to improve the perceptions of Africans and Africa as a whole.

    Mzwandile Masina, South Africa Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry was part of the Brand South Africa delegation to the breakfast meeting.

  • Uganda to unveil tourism assets at 2014 Akwaaba

    One of Africa’s emerging destination,  Uganda, will be showcasing in West Africa for the first time during the 2014 Akwaaba travel fair from 26 to 28 of next month, in Lagos.  Uganda will be joining other big African tourism players South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and Gambia in their aggressive marketing plans to increase the number of visitors to their countries from West-Africa by showcasing at the most successful and largest travel platform in the region.

    With the growth of Intra African travel and incessant and  travel advisories from Western nations, marketing within African is becoming a regular feature for most forward looking tourism boards.

    Tourism which is Uganda’s main export, fetched over $1.4billion in 2013/2014 financial year (Central Bank of Uganda). This growth could be attributed to intensified marketing and  promotion of the country both domestically and Internationally. Exhibiting at Akwaaba this year, the Pearl of Africa, as the country is called,  will be inviting visitors to experience this pristine destination.

    According to the organizer of Akwaaba, Mrs. Rita Ikechi Uko, “the participation of top destinations at Akwaaba, shows the fair’s relevance within the region. These are countries whose economies thrive on tourism and are experienced at marketing and promotion of tourism because they have been doing this for a long time. We are expecting more tourism stakeholders to key into this by not just participating at Akwaaba but also to network and learn from these tourism boards”.

  • Sheraton Abuja sends staff for training

    In an effort to boost  staff moral and encourage quality service delivery to its customers, Sheraton Abuja Hotel and Towers  recently sent some of its staff to its sister hotel in Dubai, the Sheraton Grand Hotel. The transfer would offer the staff opportunities for better exposure.

    Among the staff are Joshua Oliver Ndirmbita, Victor Izuwa and Christain Ugwu.

    The General Manager of Sheraton Abuja, Mr. Boris Bornman, congratulated them on the new overseas posting. He said: t “we consider you Ambassadors of your country as you will relocate and work abroad for the first time, this will add great value to your resume and your skill and knowledge base in the industry. I am certain that you will all keep being super stars as you were here, we will miss you and we wish you the best.”

    The manager also said in order to add greater value to the dining experience of the hotel’s customers, the management of Sheraton Abuja Hotel will additionally sponsor  two Nigerian trained Italian Chefs-Chef Olufunke Victor and Chef Timothy Amadi to the Academia Barilla in Italy where they acquire greater and deeper proficiency in Italian Cuisine such as Bruschetta – ‎Bresaola – ‎Capicola – ‎Carbonara  Cotoletta – Ribollita.

  • Ebola:Hospitality workers warned

    THE Institute of Hospitality, United Kingdom(Nigeria branch), has advised workers in the hospitality industry to ensure  a strict and high level of hygiene to prevent the spread of Ebola or put their guests at risk.

    In a release, titled ‘Interim Guidance about Ebola Virus Infection for Hotel’ and signed by the  honourary chairman of the institute, Mrs. Kehinde Daniel, the institute advised workers in the hospitality industry to, among other precautionary measures, wear impermeable disposable gloves, while cleaning the guest rooms and lavatories; wipe down lavatory surfaces and frequently touched surfaces in the guest room, such as armrests, seat backs, tray tables, light and air controls, and adjacent walls and windows with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered cleaner/disinfectant that has been tested and approved for use; and  do not use compressed air which might spread infectious material through the air.

    If a seat cover or carpet is obviously soiled with blood or body fluids, it should be removed and discarded by the methods used for biohazardous material;  throw used gloves away according to the company’s recommended infection control precautions when cleaning is done or if they become soiled or damaged during cleaning; Clean hands with soap and water (or waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap is not available) immediately after gloves are removed.

  • CEPTAC donates tourism books to varsity

    CEPTAC donates tourism books to varsity

    THE Centre for the Promotion of Peace, Tourism, Art and Culture (CEPTAC) has donated tourism and historical books to the Ignatius Ajupu University of Education  ( formerly Rivers State University of Education), Port Harcourt. Among the books donated to the school were: Memories of the Niger Delta Slave Trade Routes and Towards the Culture of Peace in the Niger Delta.

    In his speech while presenting the books to the vice-chancellor of the school, Professor Rosemond Dienye Green Osahogulu, the president of the CEPTAC, Chief Amachree, said the NGO decided to present the books to the school to avail the youths the opportunity to know more the history and culture of their fatherland and their root, to remind them of the trans-atlantic slave trade era where their ancestors were sold as slaves by the Europeans through Bonny Island, Calabar, Akassa and Badagry ports and to resurrect the reading habit of youths, especially now that Port Hacourt has been designated as the World Book Capital for 2014.

    On the activities of the CEPTAC, Amachree said: “The NGO has produced three books since its inception. He said the NGO organized the first cultural carnival in Abuja; the second River State Cultural carnival tagged RIVCAM’92 in Port Harcourt. In addition, it has also organized on peace and tourism.”

    He called on students to develop their skills for them to contribute to nation-building, especially in the area of tourism, since tourism is the largest employer of labour in the world.

    Amachree used the opportunity to call of different tiers of government and other organizations to introduce holiday packages for their workers as this will help in creating greater awareness on tourism and its importance.

    He congratulated the university’s vice-chancellor for being the first female vice- chancellor in River State.

    In her response, Professor Osahogulu thanked the CEPTAC for the kind gesture. He said that on her assumption of office, students’ reading habit was at a low ebb. She said she organized several academic activities to change the trend. She thanked Chief Amachree for the kind gesture, noting that the books would further enhance the reading culture among students.

    Also speaking on the occasion, Professor Emeritus Ebiegberi Joe Alagoa of the University of Port Harcourt, said the CEPTAC will continue to contribute to the  development of cultural heritage of the Niger Delta.

  • Gberefu: Echoes of slaves’ footsteps

    Gberefu: Echoes of slaves’ footsteps

    Gberefu, also known as Point of No Return, in Badagry, Lagos State, is a small island facing the Atlantic Ocean. The island was where slave ships  berth to load slaves during the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade era hundreds of years back. OKORIE UGURU writes on his experience during a visit to the island. 

    Roots tourism had  always been an area of interest to many blacks in the Diaspora. And often they return back to Africa to have a re-connect with their ancestors. Many countries within the west coast have reaped tremendously from this. Chief among them are Gambia, Ghana, Benin Republic and some few other countries.

    It is on record that many places in Nigeria had experiences with the obnoxious trade. However, a  prime point of slave trade in Nigeria is Badagry. Few places still have graphic images of the obnoxious trade like this town. One of such historic places in Badagry is the Gberefu Island, also known as Point of No Return.

    Stories relating to this place leave one horrified at the magnitude of the inhumanity committed on this soil many years ago.

    You may need to cast your mind back to the slave trade era to really appreciate  the pains of the trade in human cargoes across the Atlantic. Gberefu Island was the final outpost before slaves are shipped through the Badagry natural harbour  to the New World. For the captured slaves, the journey began from the hinterland from where they are transported to Badagry. At Badagry, there were slave compounds known as baracoons, where the slaves were initially kept. One could still see relics of the slave merchants’ baracoons  along the Badagry Marina area. They can be seen along with the other tools used to keep and subdue the slaves.

    The Mobees and the Seriki Abass compounds are some the families whose forefathers actively participated in the trade. They still have relics from the obnoxious trade.

    The slaves were kept in these family baracoons along the Badagry Marina at the lagoon waterfront to wait for the merchants’ vessels. When it was time to depart, they slaves were ferried across the Badagry lagoon to Gberefu Island. The stretch of the lagoon water separating the Marina shore and Gberefu is about a kilometer.

    According to history, the shallow nature of Badagry waterfront made it impossible for the big merchant ships to berth, hence the choice of Gberefu as a port. The island has the Atlantic Ocean lapping its shores.

    It was from there that the slaves were shipped to the Americas. History has it that once a slave crossed the Badagry lagoon and stepped on the Gberefu island, the slave’s fate was sealed. That was how the island got the name Point of No Return.

    Because of the historic value of Gberefu, it has become a tourist site where many tourists, especially blacks in the Diaspora, visit. Such visits are usually very interesting and life-changing for the tourists.

    To get to Gberefu,  you need plenty of patience. First, the local speed boats that run between the island and Badagry come to the shore at intervals. But because the number of people at the island are few,  tourists have to wait for the boats to come. Even when the boat arrives, the waiting may last a bit longer as it takes time for the boat to get filled up. At weekends, it is a bit better, because the number of people making the trip to the island are many. The traffic is made up of tourists and others who visit the island for spiritual purpose.  However, if it is a group trip, the best is to charter a boat to take the group across. The  ferry trip takes about five to ten minutes. From the Gberefu jetty, one would have to walk for about 20 to 30 minutes to get to the beach front.  The way to the beachfront is probably one of the oldest foot paths in the country. It has been a foot path for up to 400 years now. It is a path many had trodden to get to the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a foot path many had taken, but only few returned. The rest got shipped to the new world or died at sea. It is only the slave traders and their acolytes that came back.  The route has the landmarks of key points in the journey to the ocean shore. Tourists would have the  opportunity of seeing signposts informing them about notable points on the route. One of these is the well where water was drawn to quench the thirst of  famished slaves.

    At the end of the un-tarred path, one gets to the shore. A cenotaph is built at the end of the route in remembrance of  the slaves. From the shore, one could watch the ocean splashing the white sandy beach with foam. By the right hand side, some small white garment churches have sprung up. Intermittently, you hear their raised voice singing and praying. The soothing breeze from the ocean caresses one’s face.

    Far into the ocean, some fishermen go about their business on the ocean. From the ocean shore, the fishing boats looked like black dots on the blue water. Though the slave ships are long gone,  the memory of their activities on the shore would  last for ever.

    In addition to Gberefu, there are many places to visit in Badagry. They include the Vlekete slave market; the slave museum; the first storey building in Nigeria, the Mobee family museum, the Chief Seriki Abass compound and many others.

    Despite this rich harvest of tourist sites in Badagry, the town is very difficult to access. The road to the town is in a bad shape. To go to Badagry, a town less then 50 kilometres from Lagos, takes almost three hours. The story is the same on the return trip.  Thankfully, the efforts by the Lagos State to expand the route and introduce a metro rail service have gone far.

  • Sheraton Abuja sends staff for training

    THE Institute of Hospitality, United Kingdom(Nigeria branch), has advised workers in the hospitality industry to ensure  a strict and high level of hygiene to prevent the spread of Ebola or put their guests at risk.

    In a release, titled “Interim Guidance about Ebola Virus Infection for Hotel”,and signed by the  honourary chairman of the institute, Mrs. Kehinde Daniel, the institute advised workers in the hospitality industry to, among other precautionary measures, wear impermeable disposable gloves, while cleaning the guest rooms and lavatories; wipe down lavatory surfaces and frequently touched surfaces in the guest room, such as armrests, seat backs, tray tables, light and air controls, and adjacent walls and windows with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered cleaner/disinfectant that has been tested and approved for use; and  do not use compressed air which might spread infectious material through the air.

    If a seat cover or carpet is obviously soiled with blood or body fluids, it should be removed and discarded by the methods used for biohazardous material;  throw used gloves away according to the company’s recommended infection control precautions when cleaning is done or if they become soiled or damaged during cleaning; Clean hands with soap and water (or waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap is not available) immediately after gloves are removed.

  • CEPTAC donates tourism books to varsity

    CEPTAC donates tourism books to varsity

    THE Centre for the Promotion of Peace, Tourism, Art and Culture (CEPTAC) has donated tourism and historical books to the Ignatius Ajupu University of Education  ( formerly Rivers State University of Education), Port Harcourt. Among the books donated to the school were: Memories of the Niger Delta Slave Trade Routes and Towards the Culture of Peace in the Niger Delta.

    In his speech while presenting the books to the vice-chancellor of the school, Professor Rosemond Dienye Green Osahogulu, the president of the CEPTAC, Chief Amachree, said the NGO decided to present the books to the school to avail the youths the opportunity to know more the history and culture of their fatherland and their root, to remind them of the trans-atlantic slave trade era where their ancestors were sold as slaves by the Europeans through Bonny Island, Calabar, Akassa and Badagry ports and to resurrect the reading habit of youths, especially now that Port Hacourt has been designated as the World Book Capital for 2014.

    On the activities of the CEPTAC, Amachree said: “The NGO has produced three books since its inception. He said the NGO organized the first cultural carnival in Abuja; the second River State Cultural carnival tagged RIVCAM’92 in Port Harcourt. In addition, it has also organized on peace and tourism.”

    He called on students to develop their skills for them to contribute to nation-building, especially in the area of tourism, since tourism is the largest employer of labour in the world.

    Amachree used the opportunity to call of different tiers of government and other organizations to introduce holiday packages for their workers as this will help in creating greater awareness on tourism and its importance.

    He congratulated the university’s vice-chancellor for being the first female vice- chancellor in River State.

    In her response, Professor Osahogulu thanked the CEPTAC for the kind gesture. He said that on her assumption of office, students’ reading habit was at a low ebb. She said she organized several academic activities to change the trend. She thanked Chief Amachree for the kind gesture, noting that the books would further enhance the reading culture among students.

    Also speaking on the occasion, Professor Emeritus Ebiegberi Joe Alagoa of the University of Port Harcourt, said the CEPTAC will continue to contribute to the  development of cultural heritage of the Niger Delta.

  • Low-key Osun Osogbo Festival

    Low-key Osun Osogbo Festival

    OSUN Osogbo, the annual festival for the worship and honour  of the Osun deity by devotees, is among the biggest tourism gatherings the country. It is a local festival that enjoys large international appeal. The lure of this festival, to many from within and outside the country, is both physical and spiritual.

    Within the realm of the physical, the gaiety, colour and revelry with which the festival is celebrated are what they enjoy. The feeling of being part of traditional rites that date back to more than 800 years is an added attraction to many.

    Spiritually, many come to the bank of the Osun River in search of spiritual solution to one ailment or the other. Even though the festival is marked for about three weeks, the focus is normally on the grand finale.

    Probably, there has never been a year in which hosting the festival has been as challenging as this year’s edition. The huge crowd that used to be a focal point in the celebration became a source of discomfort. This is as a result of the viral infection that the West Africa sub-region is currently battling with, the Ebola virus.

    This year was no key because of the state government’s effort to discourage the influx of people from within and outside the country.  Among the measures put in place is the issue of crowd control to minimize unhealthy contacts and consequent risks of contracting the dreaded Ebola(EVD).  It was obvious that while there was not outright ban of people travelling to Osun State for once,  Osogbo was not over enthusiastic to welcome visitors.

    The festival committee was also forced to issue a statement on how visitors and locals were to comport themselves for the festival. Committee said: “We all know that the OsunOsogbo Festival prides itself on being a festival that has been celebrated consistently since 1370 AD without any default. Even, when the presentation of the 2010 edition of the festival coincided with when the immediate Ataoja of Osogbo, the late Oba Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi III joined his forefathers on Tuesday, August 3, 2010, the presentation of the 2010 Osun Osogbo Festival still held on Friday, August 27, 2010. Hence it is a festival that has withstood several challenges and will still withstand challenges even in the face of the current outbreak of Ebola in Lagos State. To this end, we want to implore each and every one of us to ensure that we moderate our reception of our visitors, either  from overseas and most especially from other states within Nigeria, where cases of this deadly disease are being managed. Also, we the organisers of the festival are in total support of the state government’s crowd control measures being put in place to minimize the risks of the spread of this disease during the Osun Osogbo Grand Finale coming up on Friday, August 22, 2014 (yesterday).”

    The festival’s consultant, Infogem Ltd, through its CEO, Mr. Ayo Olumoko, was also quick to point out that even though certain preventive measures were put in place to control crowd, including  having viewing centres, this year’s festival was still a success as these measures only affected the grand finale, which was yesterday. He was quick to point out that other activities of the festival had all been done with great success.

    For those unfamiliar with the festival, the grand finale involves the votary maiden, Arugba, taking off from the palace area carrying the calabash that contains sacrificial items and covered with cloth. Amidst celebratory atmosphere, she makes her way to the bank of the Osun River, inside the Osun grove. According to the tradition of the Osogbo people, the collective success and failure of the people of Osogbo in the next one year are predicated on the ability of the Arugba to successfully carry the sacrificial items to the Osun River. She must not stumble, she must not fall, and neither should the calabash. Based on the importance of the work of the maiden, a protective cordon is made round her as she makes her way to the river making stops at certain points along the way to acknowledge some personalities and families, according to the tradition, until she finally completes her assignment inside the old palace of the founder of Osogbo town in the grove.

    It is easy for one to dismiss the Osun Osogbo festival as a kind of predictable annual ritual.  But part of the allure of the festival is that each year, the celebration has its peculiarities which make it unique and both indigenes and Osun devotees would not miss it.

    In the 2010 edition of the festival, there was an empty throne, a crown without a head to wear it and no king to deliver a goodwill speech to the mammoth crowd that thronged the grove. This year was different. The state itself has seen a change in the baton of leadership.

    The ceremony, colour and festivity attached to the festival, according to Osun devotees,  has to do the deity  Osun. Osun and everything attached to it constitute part of the culture  of Osogbo and form the archetype of the people. Osun is largely regarded as to be the goddess  of fertility , divine favour, healing, protection and prosperity. Although Osogbo is the home of Osun, the deity is worshipped throughout Yorubaland and in the Diaspora. This makes this festival unique. It is to reverberate all through the land where Osun is worshipped.

    The town Osogbo basks in the popularity of the festival. It  has grown phenomenally on account of Osun. The creativity of the inspired by Osun made Osogbo a centre of arts where indigenous, but whole renowned artists emerged. It also attracted arts scholars from all over the world to the city. This truly is a heritage that we should nurture and treasure.

  • Ebola: Disrupting West African air travel

    Ebola: Disrupting West African air travel

    For frequent travellers who are citizens of West Africa, it is normally a relief to travel within the region where they are not subjected to the discomfort of presenting visas that permit them to enter countries, especially in Europe, Asia, America, and many others.

    Outside the irritant called yellow card, there is almost seamless movement of  West African  citizens by air within the region. This situation would make the founders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), more 45 years ago, happy.

    The seamless movement has also seen countries like Ghana and the Gambia engage in campaigns to see citizens from countries like Nigeria visit these countries for leisure holidays. In fact, many Nigerians, for example, have made it almost a routine  to visit either Ghana or the Gambia on leisure trips. The increase regional movement also saw many airlines come into existence to connect these countries by air. In Nigeria, Arik Air currently flies the West African regional route. However, the inter-connectivity which hitherto had been in upward swing faces serious challenge.

    The change started on when Asky Airline flight KP 50 from Lome, the airline’s hub, landed in Lagos. On board was a Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, who connected to the flight from an earlier one from Monrovia. Sawyer though sick, still made the trip. Unfortunately, he collapsed at the airport and had to be rushed to the hospital. Subsequent diagnosis and tests proved that he had the Ebola virus.

    The fear of Ebola spread has affected travel within West Africa as nothing has ever done. Even during the wars in countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire, the current fear and scrutiny of movement in and out of West African countries was not as high as it is currently.

    Liberia has placed the whole country on quarantine, shutting in all citizens. None goes out and none comes in. Sierra Leone has declared a public emergency as the health sector is straining to cope with cases of the disease. Nigerian carrier, Arik, has stopped flights to Sierra Leone and Liberia. Nigeria has stopped Asky from flying into the country.

    The tourism and aviation industries most affected by the current measure to curb the onslaught of the Ebola virus. So far, has the aviation industry and the government taken the right measures to deal with the problem?

    The organizer of Akwaaba Travel Market and the  media  consultant to Ethiopia Airline, Mr. Ikechi Uko,  analysed the issue.

    “There are close to 270 million people in West Africa, and with the ECOWAS  free movement protocol, the daily communication among them is awesome. From Abidjan to Nigeria, it is almost becoming seamless except  for the small gaps between Togo and Benin. Interconnectivity between these ones is awesome. Then, the Manu River Basin  countries, which actually act as one, make the communication easy. That was were Ebola came from.

    “It was easy to move from Sierra Leone to Guinea and to Liberia. These are the Manu River Basin countries. They inter mix. It is not surprising that the first leap out of this Manu River Basin countries was Nigeria. We thought it would have been Cote d’Ivoire,  but it came straight to Nigeria because Nigeria is the air hub for West Africa, actually the economic power house for West Africa. So, if the Ebola virus is not  contained, and it spreads within West Africa, it will be one of the biggest calamities of out time. Already close to 1000 people are gone. It is unimaginable the amount of calamity that will befall West Africa, if it is not contained.”

    On how the Ebola fear is affecting movement in the sub-region, he said,”West Africa has not been properly interconnected before now. You have two massive movers which are Arik Air and Asky. Then,  you have the smaller city to city airlines like Air Senegal , Air Ivoire, Air Burkinabe  and others like that. These are smaller operators, but the main connectors are  Asky, Arik and, to some extent, Gambian Bird. First, Arik Air stopped flying Liberia and Sierra Leone. Later, Asky was banned from Nigeria. The Gambia is the most pro-active state in the West region.  It is actually shutting out every airline that comes from a source country. There will be short term losses for the airlines,  but as at now, they are the biggest risks because when somebody is sick with Ebola, he can’t travel far. Flights are just about an hour or 49 minutes, like what happened with the Liberian. He was still able to fly to Nigeria and collapsed here. So, the danger is in aviation. They have to pay the initial price  because they are a high risk means of transmission for now. It will be very huge economic losses for the airlines and the citizens of those countries. Liberia has shut its borders . It is like war; nothing goes in; nothing comes out. It is quarantining a whole country. The losses are unimaginable. We hope it doesn’t drag on.”

    He believes Nigeria has not done enough in the measures taken to keep the disease out of the country: “I think the Nigerian government has not panicked enough. We need to understand that the Ebola virus is worse than Boko Haram. It is worse than any kind of emergency that we have experienced.

    He said: “The Nigerian civil war lasted three years , and we had a casualty of about two million. Let’s imagine Ebola lasted one month in Nigeria, I can imagine how many people will die. So, the Nigerian government hasn’t panicked enough.  I expect that by now, gloves ought to be distributed, warnings ought to be  everywhere, telling Nigerians that something worse then AIDS, something worse than Boko Haram is in town.  I have seen the measures  we have put in place for security as a result Boko haram and people are willing to pay the price.This is something much more dangerous.”

    He also spoke on the measures to be taken to sensitize and combat the disease. He said: “I arrived in Kigali, then there was this banner, telling me that if I arrived from any of these countries that had the Ebola virus, I should stand differently because they had to screen and profile. That is what other countries are doing. Nigeria is not doing that. If not for First  Consultants, we wouldn’t know there was the Ebola virus in Nigeria. If it were in another hospital, the man would have died and they would say malaria killed him.

    “I don’t say ban everybody from any particular country. We should start profiling properly. If you are from so, so and so, let’s screen you.  That is at the frontier end. The government ought to increase sensitization. It is just noise making. Nigerians will be in a panic mood and understand that there is problem. Every Nigerian acts as if there is nothing at stake. We just hear it on news and we move on. There has to be warnings to say  there is an enemy at home and we need to  stand against the enemy. So, I expect a lot more sensitization from the federal, state and local levels.

    “It is unimaginable  what some airlines are going to lose, especially Asky, that does not do domestic routes. If Asky has to shut out countries that have cases of Ebola, it is going to contract its services because it does what Air Afrique is doing  which means you drop somebody here and pick somebody there.   It mixes the whole of West Africa. It is actually the most efficient carrier in the region. To have shut out, it will actually affect the airline both in the short and long terms.

    “ It depends completely on those routes. For Arik,  I don’t think they will lose that much because Liberia and Sierra Leone are new routes, and it is not that they are heavy load routes. They can  compensate with other routes, but  if they had to shut down their whole West African operations, that will be massive, but I don’t know what percentage it is of their total carriage. So, I can’t actually give you straight figure, but you know a full load of 1000 dollars from  120 people and you have to lose that twice a day, and you still have to pay staff, do your maintenance and things like that, it is a huge loss.”