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Tag: Ebola

  • Ebola: ALGON hails Jonathan for prompt response

    Ebola: ALGON hails Jonathan for prompt response

    The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) hailed President Goodluck Jonthan yesterday for his prompt response to the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Nigeria.

    In a statement by its Secretary General, Alhaji Shittu Bamaiyi, the association noted that Federal Government’s prompt response showed its dedication and concern to save lives.

    The statement reads: “The Federal Government’s efforts at checkmating the killer disease are not only heart-warming but reassuring in protecting the health of Nigerians.

    “This measure is gladdening and a thing of pride that the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the international community have applauded the measures taken by Nigeria in protecting the lives of its citizens against the disease.

    “ALGON suggests that the Federal Government should ensure that the 774 health centres built across the country are immediately put to use to serve as centres for the treatment of such ailments.

    “ALGON hopes that the Federal Government, under the leadership of Goodluck Jonathan, will sustain the spirit with which it is fighting the killer disease and use the same zeal and determination to tackle the country’s numerous challenges.

    “The association implores Nigerians to join hands in tackling issues that threaten our collective interests as a people, irrespective of our political and sectional interests.”

  • Lagos Airport gets more screening tools on Ebola

    Lagos Airport gets more screening tools on Ebola

    The United States (U.S) Government has donated equipment worth $5,000 (about N825,000) for the screening of passengers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

    The U.S Consul-General in Nigeria, Joff Hawkins, made the donation at the weekend in Lagos.

    The envoy expressed satisfaction with Federal Government’s timely response to the contagious disease since it was imported into the country by a Liberian, the late Patrick Sawyer, a month ago.

    He was happy about the measures in place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

    Hawkins noted that EVD is neither a Nigerian nor West African problem but a global problem.

    The envoy said the donation of the equipment was a symbol of willingness on the part of the American Government to assist Nigeria in an way possible to combat the scourge.

    The equipment are called infrared thermometers or non-contact thermometers.

    They are portable equipment which measure body temperature of in-bound and out-bound passengers for possible EVD symptoms from a distance.

    At the occasion were: Dr. Alex-Okoh, Head of Port Health, Lagos; Dr. Garry Bronette of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), heads of agencies at the Lagos Airport, airlines/handling companies representatives, health personnel, airport workers, among others.

    Agencies at the airport received kudos for their collaboration since the first case of the virus was reported in Nigeria.

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was hailed for providing the infrastructure for port health Services and collaborating agencies to effectively discharge their duties in the face of the danger the virus posed to all.

     

  • Ebola kills two in DR Congo

    Ebola kills two in DR Congo

    Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo said yesterday two people have died from Ebola in the country’s North-West.

    They are the first reported Ebola cases outside West Africa since the outbreak there began, although it is not clear if they are directly linked to that outbreak.

    So far 1,427 people have died from the virus.

    The speed and extent of the outbreak has been “unprecedented”, the World Health Organisation says.

    An estimated 2,615 people in West Africa have been infected with Ebola since March.

    There is no known cure but some affected people have recovered after being given an experimental drug, ZMapp. However, supplies are now exhausted.

    Several people died in the past month after contracting an unidentified fever in the Equateur region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

  • Ebola: Custom impounds trailer load of monkey meat

    Ebola: Custom impounds trailer load of monkey meat

    Seized monkey meat
    Seized monkey meat

    The Nigeria Custom Service has joined the fight against the spread of the dreaded Ebola virus by  impounding  a trailer load of smoked meat suspected to be monkey meat being imported into the country through the Jibia border in Katsina state.
    Monkey is suspected to be one of the major source of the virus which has caused the death of five Nigerians.
    The trailer loaded with the meat was seized by the Federal Operation Unit “zone B” led by OC of the team, Assistant Comptroller, Gambo Azare.
    The Nation gathered that the meat was destroyed under the supervision of the Comptroller, Federal Operation, Zone B of the service, ATS Maina and the deputy governor of Katsina State represented by the Commissioner for health.
    Maina said that Ebola is a global pandemic which requires intensive surveillance of the nation’s borders to curtail the influx of foreigners and aliens particularly from countries where the outbreak is severe.
    He assured that the Customs will intensify surveillance at the borders for the

    Seized monkey meat being burnt
    Seized monkey meat being burnt

    safety of the citizenry and appealed to the people particularly border communities to assist the Customs with useful information to track down unpatriotic persons willing to disobey the law.
    The officer who led the operation, Assistant Comptroller, Gambo Azare, told newsmen at the site where the seized meat was destroyed that the driver of trailer conveying the killer meat took to his heels, abandoning the vehicle when the trailer ran into a ditch after a hot chase by his men.
    He further said that when the consignment was intercepted, officials of National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was contacted who advised that the seized meat be destroyed within 24 hours.
    It was gathered that the Nigeria Custom Service and other government agencies have intensified the surveillance since the outbreak of the Ebola virus especially when report broke that out countries were closing their border to infected countries.
    President of Youth Action for Peace Development in Nigeria (YAPDIN), Comrade Suleiman Yero commended the Service for their efforts saying if not for their effort, the level of damage that would have been caused by the meat would have been unquantifiable if they had entered the country.

  • UN vows central role in fighting ‘exceptional’ Ebola epidemic

    UN vows central role in fighting ‘exceptional’ Ebola epidemic

    The United Nations vowed yesterday  to play a “strong role” in helping Liberia and other Ebola-hit nations  fight the deadly disease in West Africa, which it said could take months to bring it under control.

    Liberia has been particularly hard hit by the epidemic that has swept relentlessly across the region since March, accounting for almost half of the 1,427 deaths.

    “Ebola in Liberia must be addressed to ensure a stable economy, future and society,” said Karin Landgren, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s special representative for the country.

    “The magnitude of this outbreak requires a higher level of coordination than previous responses and the UN Mission in Liberia will play a strong role in this effort,” she said in a statement yesterday.

    Her comments were echoed by Dr David Nabarro, the UN’s new pointman on Ebola, who arrived in the region on Thursday to tour the Ebola-hit countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.

  • Stellar in the time of Ebola

    Stellar in the time of Ebola

    In the time of Ebola, there is something to be said about the quintessential Nigerian spirit after all. There are moments when a particular passage encapsulates all that is noble and heroic about a suffering society. Such has been the death from Ebola infection of Stella Folashade Ameyo Adadevoh. This is one death that shows how the human spirit can rise above its shabby surroundings into the stellar plane of astral possibilities. We shall be mourning this heroic doctor for a long time.

    It has been noted that unhappy is the land without a hero. To this has been added the famous quip that it is the land in search of heroes that is unhappy indeed. However this may be, it must be noted that in this season of politicians without ideal or the stout convictions that power genuine politics, in this season of political harlots changing parties in a manner reminiscent of babies changing nappies, Nigeria may well need more heroes.

    Dr Adadevoh was not even on duty on the fateful afternoon that brought the hapless Sawyer to our shores. But as the most senior doctor around, she had insisted on attending to the footloose Liberian. When he died, she had prevented his corpse from being transited through the same route of infamy and state dereliction which had seen him evade sanitary surveillance in two countries, Liberia and Nigeria respectively.

    This would probably have triggered off a humanitarian catastrophe for Nigeria. By so doing and by sacrificing her own life in the process, Ms Stella Adadevoh probably prevented thousands of her compatriots from going under in a monstrous plague. It doesn’t get more stellar than that.

    It is tempting to dismiss Mr Patrick Sawyer as a madman—as President Goodluck Jonathan did in a moment of angst and anger. But Sawyer is a prime parable for the post-colonial condition, an example of stricken humanity escaping from the concrete horrors of a diseased African nation in the post-colonial epoch. Under the tyranny of underdevelopment and Stone Age medical facilities, people must seek liberty. It is a pity that in seeking salvation, Mr Sawyer almost brought epidemic damnation on a whole nation.

    The greater pity is that despite the bravest efforts of Madam Eileen Sirleaf, Liberia is yet to return to its pre-military coup stability and prosperity. This is a lesson for Nigeria and other African countries that support and prop up sadistic tyrants without the mental magnitude to rule even a hamlet. In an increasingly globalised world in which time and space are virtually obliterated, those who sow the whirlwind must expect to reap its grim repercussions before the old African cock crows.

    It is a cause for sober reflection that despite its parlous state, there are many African people and nations that still regard Nigeria as the medical and political Mecca of the Black race. The late Sawyer was one of these. Casting vituperative aspersions on him and his nation is particularly ungracious and graceless. To whom much is given, much is expected. It is like a delinquent elder brother crying that he did not choose to come first and therefore should not be held responsible for the fate of his younger siblings.

    The Ebola virus was first discovered around the Congo River in the late seventies. Almost 40 years after, no African nation has taken the lead in cutting edge medical research to find a cure. The trail has only thrown up a long tapestry of quacks and medical mountebanks profiting from their people’s misery while pocketing international research grants.

    In the case of Nigeria, this can only be so since a sizable number of its highly trained medical personnel had already absconded abroad, fleeing from the inferno of national ruination. In a show of diluted and adulterated sovereignty, we have been cadging and appealing to America and the international community to come to our aid and to release an experimental drug which is the product of arduous research and medical labour in other climes. What is the worth of the independence of all African nations?

    The point to note is that until Nigeria and one or two African countries rise and rouse themselves to fulfil their manifest destiny as the medical, educational and technological hub of the continent, Africa will continue to be seen as the poster boy for all that is dark and disagreeable about humanity. On current showing, particularly given the dismal and dissolute nature of the Nigerian ruling class, that golden age of the Black person will continue to be a pipe dream.

    But it is morning yet on creation day. The sterling example of Ameyo Adadevoh speaks to the glorious possibilities of the untapped heroic potentials and moral resources available to the crippled African nation once it gets its act together. There is a particularly poignant irony about her example coming at a time when the entire medical workforce of the nation has downed tools in agitation for better service condition and the government has as usual wielded the big axe by purporting to sack all of them.

    In the old world of sturdy values and ordered societies, nobility was said to have its obligation. The late doctor belonged to the old Nigerian nobility. No one could have come from a more distinguished pedigree. Daughter of the notable physician Professor Adadevoh, great grand daughter of the illustrious Herbert Macaulay, the father of modern Nigerian nationalism,  and great great grand daughter of the immortal Bishop Ajayi Crowther, she could not have been sired from a more illustrious lineage.

    There cannot be a more appropriate time to ask whatever happened to the modern rationality-driven society these great men were trying build. The old bishop, after being miraculously reprieved from international slavery, went on to pioneer the translation of the bible into Yoruba language. With his fiery oratory and the irreverent aplomb with which he put the colonial masters in their place, Herbert Macaulay stirred the spirit of nationalism in the new nation.

    All we have as cultural inheritance today is the vestigial remains of the great African society these illustrious visionaries were trying to build and the occasional heroic example of their solitary heirs. Having directly or indirectly experienced the tragedy of modern slavery, and having been rescued by total strangers, these men knew that in a rational, equity-driven society, the brotherhood of humankind is superior to the fraternity of tribal affiliation and primordial kinships.

    There was a country indeed. But before our very eyes, Nigeria has descended into a whirlpool of savage irrationality with skull-grinding ritualists on the prowl, with eye-gouging kidnappers on the loose and with a particularly irresponsible political class pretending to order the affairs of the nation even as it sinks further into dismal despondency and Stone Age indignities.

    All hope is not lost. The road to restitution may be long and arduous. But it can be reached by a determined society. Once again, it has taken the tragic heroism of an exemplary Nigerian to remind us of what it means to do our duty to the nation. This is one of those unique occasions that Goodluck Jonathan ought to have milked for its maximum symbolic possibilities and redemptive aura. He ought to have been nudged by his handlers to make a national broadcast as a tribute to heroic and paradigm-shifting courage.

    At the very least, the late medical practitioner should be accorded befitting posthumous recognition. In death, she ought to be granted one of the nation’s highest honours. Thereafter, a befitting national medical institution should be named after her. This is the only way to secure a very shaky future and to guarantee that the labour of our heroes shall not be in vain. May the soul of this noble woman rest in perfect peace.

  • Much ado about Ebola

    With five persons dead, including a medical doctor and two nurses and many under observation in the country, there is no doubt that the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease  deserves all the attention given to it.

    Until recently when the Liberian Patrick Sawyer decided to export his virus to Nigeria, not many Nigerians knew much about the disease that killed hundreds, beyond occasional mention in the media in the country.

    That has since changed with Ebola becoming the most talked about issue and everyone taking measures to avoid contacting the disease.

    Although President Goodluck Jonathan can be accused of being un-presidential for calling Sawyer  ‘a madman’, his anger is understood considering that the Liberian should have surrendered himself for treatment in his country instead of causing us the untold anguish that has followed the outbreak of the disease in Nigeria.

    The Liberian government owes us apologies, which unfortunately cannot mitigate the damage done, for not taking necessary measures to prevent Sawyer from travelling to Nigeria.

    The federal and state governments, particularly Lagos, have risen up to the occasion and deserve commendation for stemming the tide of the outbreak so far.

    While nothing may be too much to be done to stop the spread of the disease, there is need to avoid undue panic which seems to underline some of the reactions to the outbreak.

    It is worrisome that suddenly every sickness may now be mistaken for Ebola. Some sick persons have been denied treatment or abandoned on the suspicion that they may be Ebola patients.

    There is a growing stigmatisation of the disease, that Nigerians are now subjected to humiliating medical check ups for Ebola on international trips simply because they are from Nigeria.

    For a disease that has been ravaging some African countries before Sawyer came calling, it is not justifiable that the collective reactions have been that similar to an epidemic situation.

    Some of the hygienic precautions now being enforced should not have been Ebola-induced if not because we have been careless about our health. Before the Ebola crisis, there has always been the need for regular hand-washing which has not been taken seriously.

    Ebola is not the only disease that can be contracted  due to not washing of hands. This explains why October 15 has annually been observed as Global Handwashing Day (GHD) to motivate and mobilise people to wash their hands with soap. The campaign is dedicated to raising awareness of handwashing with soap as a key approach to disease prevention.

    For those who have always thought that the Hand Washing  Day was one of those United Nation’s Days regarded as unnecessary, they now know better that prevention by every means is better than cure.

    Hand sanitisers have always been in use by those who could afford them or where they are provided. It should not have taken the outbreak of Ebola for some organisations  now enforcing the use of hand sanitisers to do so.

    It should be noted that there is an amount of sanitiser that has to be used and brands to guarantee bacteria and virus-free hands.

    It’s good that Ebola has reminded us of health measures that should be part of our regular lifestyles. Hopefully we would not abandon them when Ebola is over.

  • Ebonyi sets up committees to check Ebola outbreak

    THE governmentof Ebonyi State has set up two committees in order to check Ebola outbreak in the state.

    The two committees are the ‘Rapid Response Team’ and the ‘Treatment Team,’ with 19 and 15 members respectively.

    The state also announced that henceforth movement of corpses from other parts of the country into its environs and inter- state trading would no longer be allowed.

    The two committees are chaired by the state commissioner of health, Dr. Sunday Nwangele.

    Governor Martin Elechi has also urged the members of the committees to be committed in the various duties assigned to them.

    He said that the issue of epidemics such as yellow fever, cholera, Hiv/Aids had reared their ugly heads in the past but due to the determination of people, they were properly contained.”So Ebola virus will not be different from others,” he added.

    He appreciated the members of the committee for accepting to work at a time like this which he noted showed their love and patriotism for the state and the country in general.

    “Just as the people in the past did not give up; they fought tirelessly to eradicate yellow fever in the sixties, later cholera and recently HIV/AIDS. So shall we fight to stop Ebola,” he said.

    The Commissioner for Health, Dr Nwagele, explained that the Rapid Response Committee would ensure that residents of the state were adequately sensitised about the Ebola virus and to properly educate the people on the need to adopt preventive measures such as environmental sanitation and regular hand washing.

    He explained further that the treatment team would be in charge of diagnosis and treatment should there be any case of Ebola virus in the state.

    Elechi, the state executive council members and the members of the committees all used the hand sanitiser brought to the meeting venue before having hand shake with their colleagues.

  • Ebola: Colleagues raise questions as NMA prepares to honour Adadevoh

    Ebola: Colleagues raise questions as NMA prepares to honour Adadevoh

    TRIBUTES poured endlessly during the week soon after Dr. Stella Adadevoh’s death became public. The Senior Consultant Physician at First Consultants Medical Centre Ltd gave up the ghost after she was infected by the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) by the late Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer.

    While the now famed late female doctor’s life-style was likely to have been largely a private affair, her colleagues have thrown their weight behind her even at death, and declared her a heroine.

    According to the Vice Chairman of the Lagos State Medical Guild, Dr. Oseni Salau, he did not know her (the late Dr. Adadevoh) nor did he interact with her. “She worked at First Atlantic Consultants, while I work with the Lagos State Government. Our path never crossed. But as a colleague, I feel her death is an unfortunate one. Those doctors that are rendering medical services to these Ebola victims should be declared heroes. That is because they are the ones that have made it possible for us to be able to at least try to contain the disease. She, particularly, I mean the late Dr. Adadevoh from what I heard, resisted all entreaties from the Liberian Embassy for late Liberian Dr. Patrick Sawyer to be released from hospital.

    “If the Liberian had been released, he would have spread the disease all over the place. So the reality here is that, she and her colleagues were the first to attend to him and were vigilant to ensure that he does not leave the hospital to spread the virus.” On his part, the Secretary of the Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State, Dr. Babajide Saheed told us that he did not know her personally, but he knew she was a Consultant with First Consultants Medical Centre. “I wish she is alive,” said the doctor, “As far as I am concerned, the family of those affected should be compensated because they are actually the ones that have contained the spread of Ebola disease this far. If they had allowed the man to move out, it would have been a worse situation now. Dr. Adadevoh is a hero but a big loss to her family.”

    As regard honour for the late Adadevoh, Dr. Salau, the Vice Chairman of Lagos State Medical Guild, said: “Well, she will be honoured. It will more likely be the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) that will do that. But as a guild, that may come up later when we have got full details of what has taken place and so on. But in the meantime, most of my colleagues and I agree that she is a heroine based on the fact that she prevented the man from spreading the disease around to the general public as he the Liberian Patrick Sawyer, intended.

    “Yes, we are already working on a befitting honour for her,” said the Secretary of the Lagos NMA, Dr. Babajide Saheed. “My colleagues and I will come up with something soon.”

    But while that arrangement is going on, the doctors are calling attention to more hair-raising issues about the outbreak of Ebola in the country and its management.

    For instance, Dr. Oseni Salau believes that the on-going doctors strike has really been a blessing in disguise because “if the strike was not on, Sawyer would probably had been taken to LASUTH. And I can bet you that not less than 10 doctors would have come in contact with him. There would also have been the possibility that the Medical Director of LASUTH would have come in contact with him and even the Lagos State Commissioner for Health too would have had to come in contact with him at the hospital because of his diplomatic nature. They would have contacted it.

    “And if we had got one patient that had it there in LASUTH, with the least information on Ebola as it were then, the thing would have gone around like wild fire. The truth is that, government should not blackmail us with resuming because of Ebola. The reality is that the lesser the number of people that get in contact with the Ebola patients, the better. For all those that are being cared for right now, they do not need more than five doctors to take care of them. So saying that the strike should be called off because of that is not related at all. Also, even if the strike is called off, what do we have on ground to prevent or protect us from the patients when they come to the hospital?”

    “This is exactly what the NMA is fighting for,” added Dr. Babajide Saheed. “Doctors deserve to have better allowances, most especially life insurance. It is sad that people do not understand this matter that doctors are fighting for. The doctors presently at the Ebola Centre are okay. They have gone through test and have been found negative. But from the study, they have to be monitored. Though they are said not likely to come up with the disease because they now have a defence mechanism against the disease. But they still have to be monitored for about 60 days. And that includes their blood and so on. After the 60 days, they can then be wholly confirmed to be negative. That life insurance has not been done by the government even as at today. It is very unimaginable that we are working without life insurance at this period in time.”

    Dr. Oseni Salau absolved the late Adadevoh of any negligence in protecting herself from the disease. “I do not think in any way that it was her fault to have contracted the disease. A doctor does not wear a glove for all patients, especially when there were no epidemic diseases in circulation. At the time the late Dr. Sawyer came around, when he was being interviewed, he denied ever coming in contact with any Ebola victim. He denied that he had ever interacted with anyone that has such. There was another issue about him urinating indiscriminately.

    “But the reality is that until now at hospitals, doctors were not really wearing gloves for all patients, unless of course they have their suspicions. Moreover, Ebola starts like malaria. Most doctors will not ordinarily wear gloves because they want to attend to a patient that has malaria. Even when you wear gloves, how about sitting on a seat that someone with Ebola has sat down or laid down on the bed that someone with Ebola has laid? So all those risks are always there.

    “There is also the possibility that Sawyer might have decided to pass the disease to those who did not let him go after all entreaties from his country’s embassy had fallen on deaf ears. The possibility is there. They resisted it and made sure he didn’t leave. Don’t forget that it is said that the man was urinating indiscriminately and even said to have spilled blood around. If that was the case, there is the possibility of deliberate attempt to unleash the disease on those that took care of him at the hospital. And you know, there were a thousand and one possibilities of how he could have passed it to late Dr. Adadevoh.

    “That is why we insist and ask for personal protective equipment. If the man had urinated on them, they probably rinsed it with water, not knowing that it was a tragedy. It was only much later that the awareness became more and people got better informed about Ebola.

    “The necessary gadgets should be made available for those that are caring for the patients. The government says that it has the protective gear, but we have not seen it. All we see are those shots of it taken in countries outside Nigeria. Where are the protective gadgets? Please, let the government bring out what they have and let those caring for those people use it. The Lagos State Government says it has 20 and the Federal Government claims it has 1,000. Are the Ebola victims in Abuja or Lagos? Let them (FG) send it down here.

    “From the normal operations of that place, you need 30 per day. So, if we have 20, where do we stand? I must tell you, it is not good enough. I have not been able to go in there, and they have not shown to us any of the patients that are there. Our people have been volunteering. Some of them are even working in there. A lot too are presently involved in advocacy and so on.

    “We have a committee in the NMA and in the Guild working on that. But those having direct contact with the patients must be well protected. We are not sure that they are well protected. Nobody is giving us that information. Right now, as I am talking to you, neither I nor the NMA Chairman has seen any of these patients. It shouldn’t be so. We are professionals; we are ready to do our work. We are also saying that the government should protect us too.”

    Dr. Babajide Saheed, the NMA Secretary, insisted that the Minister of Health lied when he recently said that the resident doctors are not part of those caring for the Ebola victims. “The minister lied that resident doctors are not part of those caring and managing the patients. That shows that the minister is not in tune with what is happening with Ebola response treatment. If he knows what is happening there, he wouldn’t have made such comments. It is unfortunate that a minister and a doctor should say such about his colleagues. He was once a resident doctor before he became a consultant and a minister. With that comment, he has successfully made the resident doctors working there to be devastated. He is trying to discourage a lot of people from responding to the volunteer call for eradication of Ebola.”

  • EBOLA: Our fears, by Seme border residents

    EBOLA: Our fears, by Seme border residents

    Don’t shut the border, Beninoise plead with govt

    AS Cameroon, Kenya and other African countries have resorted to shutting their borders against neighbouring African nations currently plagued by the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), nationals of Benin Republic have begun to imagine the worst if their country  also decides to close its border with Nigeria.

    They foresee hunger, Kwashiorkor, mass death and other calamities befalling the country and the people should their government decide to shut the border in order to prevent the disease from spreading to their country.

    A trip to the tiny West African country shows that the nationals are prepared for a show down with their government if it contemplates taking such decision. None of the respondents welcomed the idea. They all described it as a decision that is worse than being hit by the EVD.

    One of the respondents, Alice Anthony, a native of Port Novo, is still being hunted by her unpalatable experience when the border was closed some years ago because of elections.

    She recalled that she and her kinsmen were almost sent to their early graves by hunger because the border was closed for just three days.

    “It must never happen again because we saw hell when a similar action was taken some years ago when elections were taking place in Nigeria. The border was shut for only three days within which we almost went to refuse dumps to scavenge for food.

    “If they shut it then for three days because of elections, shutting it down because of Ebola would be indefinite. If that happens, the number of people that would die in a week would be higher than the number that Ebola would kill in a year if it comes into our country. In fact, if the border is shut for just an hour, there would be pandemonium in the country,” she said.

    A leading trader, who gave her name as Asana Bandjo, feared that women would be worst hit if such decision is taken. She said: “I want to speak on behalf of women because we are really what you can describe as the real vulnerable group in this our country. Before now, our men used to work and take care of their wives and children but now, it is the women that feed the husbands.

    “Most of our men marry as many wives as possible and hardly bother about our well being. That is why you find every woman in our society hustling to feed her children and the husband as well. At times, the man may decide not come home for several days but when he comes, he will be asking for food which he did not give you a dime to prepare.”

    She added that their condition is made worse by the fact that their country does not have companies that can employ the women. “We don’t have companies that can employ women the way you people do in Nigeria. We don’t earn salaries here. We only depend on the small income we get from our petty trading. So, you can imagine what would happen to us and our children if the border is closed. It is better to manage Ebola than to toy with hunger. We have been educated about how to prevent Ebola so we have no fears about relating with our Nigerian neighbours,” she submitted.

    Ajanu Komavo, a bureau de change operator feared that there would be untold hardship that could lead to worse epidemic than Ebola in their country if the government shuts the border.

    “Our government must not think of shutting the border against Nigeria as some African countries have done against their neighbours because of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). If they do, there would be serious economic problems in the land and when this happens, we would all die of not just hunger, but of other outbreak of worse sicknesses than Ebola. It is easier to manage Ebola than hunger. Ebola kills in single digits but hunger and its attendant challenges kill en-masse,” he said.

    His business colleague, who gave his name as Ezekiel Dedewanu, said the country stands to lose a great deal if it takes such decision which, according to him, is not in the interest of the masses. “Did I hear you say anything about our government shutting the border because of Ebola?”  He began with a rhetorical question.

    “I have been earning my living from the border for several decades because people come in and go out of it on a daily basis. If the border is shut, nobody would come in or go out of this place and that would spell doom for me and my family. We would not be able to feed not to talk of having money to pay their school fees. Does it make sense to waste an entire generation because of the fear of Ebola?

    “Our country and Nigeria are brothers. We have been having cordial and symbiotic business relationship over the years and it would not be in the interest of any of the two countries if the border is shut.”

    Emmanuel Koffi, a commercial motor operator, opined that shutting the border is incapable of preventing Ebola from entering the country. He said: “Can any country stop a disease by closing the border? It is not possible because diseases are not physical things that you can prevent in that manner. It is ridiculous for any country to think that by closing its borders, it can prevent Ebola. What is important is to take the necessary health measures and pray against it.

    “I don’t think our government would contemplate that because they know the crucial role that Nigeria plays in our economy. Closing the border will amount to passing death sentence on the people because the very moment we exhaust our reserves, we would either die of hunger or turn to cannibals. Our case would be worse than the plight of people you see in war-torn nations.”

    The Beninoise are, however, not alone in this. Some of their Nigerian counterparts are also frowned at any decision to shut the border by any government.

    Nura Garuba, a Nigerian businessman said Ebola is not at the border and should not serve as a reason for anybody to close the border. “If the border is closed, it is not only the  that would be affected. There are thousands of Nigerians that earn their living from the border. So if any government decides to close the border, all of us would be affected. The difference is that it will only affect individuals in Nigeria while it will affect both individuals and Benin Republic as a country.

    “I have been living and doing business here for the past 20 years. I only travel to Zamfara, my state of origin, every year.  If the border is closed, what would I be doing to earn a living? Where will I get the resources to pay my rent and children’s school fees?

     

    Tackling Ebola at the border

    Checks at the entrance to Benin Republic shows that the government has embarked on massive enlightenment campaigns to sensitise the nationals and immigrants to the country about the EVD. A loud speaker was mounted by the gate from where a recorded message in English, French, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Egun was being passed to the people. Nothing of such was, however, found at the Nigerian side of the border.

    The Nigerian residents at the border, it was learnt, get to know about the EVD through the message broadcast from the Benin Republic’s loud speaker and occasionally, from radio and television broadcasts.

    A Beninoise official, who conducted our correspondent round the area, said the government is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to prevent Ebola from coming into the country. “Our government has been doing everything within its powers to enlighten our people and visitors to the country and the reality of the EVD.

    “We have a loud speaker through which we educate our people on what they need to do to avoid contracting the disease. The messages are in French, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Egun. We adopted this style because a good number of immigrants are from Nigeria. We have a doctor here at the border post who examines visitors to make sure they are not having the virus. So far, we have not found anybody living with the disease,” he said.

    The nationals have been full of appreciation to their government for its initiatives in educating them about the Ebola virus. Jacob Hounge, a Beninoire businessman, said that the campaign has gone a long way in helping the people to improve on their hygiene.

    He said: “We really thank our government for the enlightenment campaign that has opened our eyes to what we should do to avoid being infected by Ebola. It is a good thing that the campaign is this strong at the border because it will enable everybody that is entering and going out of the country to be aware of the virus.

    “I am surprised that Nigeria is not doing the same thing at their border. If they can employ this approach, the awareness level will be very high among the people.”

     

    Fear grips Nigerian border residents

    Nigerian residents at the Seme border have berated the Federal Government for, according to them, not doing enough to educate the people at the border about the disease like its Benin Republic counterpart.

    They decried the absence of ambulance and isolation centres at the border, wondering how a patient could be attended to in such situation. A resident, who gave her name as Rosemary Jikeme, said: “The Nigerian government is not doing enough as far as educating people at the border is concerned about this Ebola virus. The Beninoise are doing far better in this regard.

    “The radio and television broadcast they said they are doing is not sufficient in educating people in remote areas and borders because we all don’t have access to them. How would we hear about it when we have not had power supply in this area for about six years? There is a need for health workers to come here and organise seminars and other enlightenment programmes for us.”

    Another resident, who gave his name as Bayo Oni, lamented the absence of ambulance at the border, saying: “If there is any seriousness of the part of our government in tackling Ebola, there should be a standby ambulance here at the border. If we have a victim right here, how would they convey him to the hospital, moreso when we do not have any around us? My fear is that many people would be affected if just one person is found out to be living with the sickness here. The health workers and other government officials need to do more than wearing hand gloves.”

    Ozegbe Victor, a resident at the border, took a swipe at the Federal Government over the absence of isolation centres at the border. He said: “We have a government that takes pleasure in using propaganda in deceiving the people. I read it in the newspapers some time ago that the government has put isolation centres at all the borders across the country. Did you see anything like that in this area?

    “It is all deceit. If we have a case of Ebola now, what would happen? Don’t be deceived, the Port Health Services people we here cannot do anything in the face of emergency. I don’t even think they have what it takes to attend to emergencies.”

    A health official, who spoke with The Nation under anonymity, also confirmed that there was no isolation centre in place at the border, adding: “The government may provide one in the future, but as I am talking to you now, there is nothing like here at the border.”

     

    Concern about porous border

    Some of the residents in a chat with The Nation expressed serious concern about the porous nature of the border and the activities of the immigration officials.  They feared that sick illegal immigrants might end up infecting healthy residents at the border.

    “How can we be talking about tackling Ebola without tightening our borders? If an infected person mistakenly finds his way into this area, we would all be infected. Our lives as residents of this area are in great danger because of the innumerable numbers of illegal immigrants that troop into this area on daily basis.

    “Our border is too porous. The officials that are saddled with the responsibility are not doing their jobs very well. Apart from the challenge of Ebola, such unchecked migration into the country poses a serious threat to the security of the country and the citizens,” a resident, who gave his name as Abiodun Sule, said.

    Another resident, who simply identified herself as Babs, decried the high rate of corruption at the border. He pointed out that the laxity at the border needs to be checked to save the nation from unforeseen problems.

    “There is no sanity on Nigeria’s side of the border as you too can see. There are so many security agencies and plain cloth people masquerading as security men or government officials. Most of them are just there to extort money from people that are crossing the border.

    “This is not so at the Benin Republic border. There is high level of sanity at their border when you compare it with ours. They have a limited number of security agencies and government officials milling around the border. This helps them to monitor and control the movement of everybody going in and out of their border,” he said.

     

    Ebola Screening at Border as World Health Organisation (WHO) visits

    Our correspondent, who visited the area, reported that Port Health Services officials were screening immigrants to the country for Ebola. Checks showed that out of the large number of people trooping into the country, only a few were being screened. As big as the border is, the screening was only going on at a single point.

    As at about 3pm few number of the immigrants were made to go through the exercise. As at 5:30 when the team had left, the screening point was abandoned with immigrants moving in unchecked.

    It took the personal effort for our correspondent to know that the officials were still doing the screening. He approached the screening point and asked if he could be screened for Ebola. The officials, who appeared to be on holiday, answered in the affirmative, conducted the screening and said: “Your temperature is 34 o/c. If it were 37, we would have checked you for malaria or Ebola.”

    Asked if any traveller had been found to be infected, she said: “Why are you asking? You have known your status; you don’t have any business knowing about others’ status.” The record book was scanty when our correspondent did the test, confirming that the exercise had not long begun.

    Efforts to get the WHO team’s observation and remark about their visit were unsuccessful. One of their officials simply said: “I am not permitted to speak with the press. You can meet any of the Nigerian officials for briefing. I am sorry if I did not meet your expectations.”

    Visits to the offices of Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) and Port Health Services for comments also failed. The public relations officer of NIS, Mr Niyi Oyewole, said he was not in a position to speak on the issue, adding: “My controller who should have spoken with you has left for Abuja on official assignment.”

    The response was the same at the Port Health Services. An official of the organisation said the boss was not around to speak with our correspondent.