The deadly Ebola virus disease ravaging some West African countries ignited some drama at the beginning of last week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Ebola, which currently has no cure, according to World Health Organisation, has claimed the lives of over 930 victims mainly in the West African sub-region and have infected over 1,700 persons.
While a Liberian, the late Patrick Sawyer imported the virus to Nigeria, one Nigerian nurse was confirmed dead last week and five other Nigerians have been confirmed carriers of the virus.
Most members of the Council who normally shake hands and hug while greeting each other before the meeting begins, jokingly refrained from such acts last week for fear of contacting the disease.
When the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku came into the Council Chamber, he did not shake hands with colleagues of his as he went round greeting them by holding his clinched fist towards his chest in the northerners’ way of greeting.
At each point, he maintained a safe distance from his colleagues and was saying Rankadede, Rankadede, Rankadede.
The joke took another dimension when the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu entered the Council Chamber.
As soon as some of colleagues of his saw him coming in, they left his path and refused to shake hands with him.
The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, who was discussing with the Ministers of Labour, Emeka Wogu and Sports, Tamuno Danagogo by the entrance asked Chukwu when he approached them with his hand stretched out: “Make I shake you?”
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, who was approaching the four ministers as the joke continued with Chukwu, brought another angle to the drama.,
He started shouting ‘Ebola’, ‘Ebola,’ ‘Ebola’ as he ran away from the Health Minister. He refused to shake hands with the minister.
On his way to his seat after leaving the four ministers, Adoke saw the Minister of State for Health, Khaliru Al-hassan and asked him in Hausa language: ‘Ka je Lagos?’ (Meaning: ‘have you been to Lagos?).
After the Minister of State for Health responded by saying ‘no’, Adoke then shook hands with him.
It will not be surprising to see some ministers coming to FEC meeting tomorrow wearing hand gloves, nose masks, thick eye-goggles and other gadgets to prevent contracting the disease.
Besides the jokes and drama, threat of the Ebola virus and how to contain it was the only matter that engaged the attention of the Council presided over by Vice-President, Namadi Sambo when the meeting started around 10.15 a.m. last week.,
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Chukwu said: “We have a national emergency, indeed the world is at risk. Nobody is immune. The experience in Nigeria has alerted the world that it takes just one individual to travel by air to a place to begin an outbreak.”
“It is an emergency and secondly everyone is at risk. We have recorded seven confirmed cases, which were in contact with the first imported index case from Liberia. Yesterday, August 5, the first known Nigerian to die of the EVD was recorded and this was one of the nurses that attended to the Liberian. The other five cases are currently being treated at the isolation ward in Lagos.”
On some steps being taken to stop the spread of the disease in Nigeria, he said: “This morning, I sent an e-mail to the Director of the US Centre for Disease Control. We have being in communication in the last 36 hours. We are getting reports that the experimental seems to be useful. It is also possible that we can have access for our own people who are currently being treated under isolation.
“We are making efforts, we are relating with them and we are doing everything possible that will ensure that we contain this disease.”
President Goodluck Jonathan could not attend the FEC meeting as he was in Washington DC, United States of America, attending the United States-African Leaders Summit along with other African leaders.
Just about 25 per cent of the current number of ministers did not attend the FEC meeting.
Out of the present 43 ministers holding various portfolios in the cabinet, 27 of them attended the Sambo-led FEC meeting last week.
A statement by the Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, last week disclosed that four ministers will be in Washington DC with the President for the summit.
That means that 12 ministers who did not travel with the President did not attend the FEC meeting last week.
The ministers, who accompanied the President, according to the statement, were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, the Co-ordinating Minster of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, and the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo.
The 27 ministers who were in the Council Chamber when the FEC meeting began last week were Ministers of Agriculture (State), Asabe Ahmed, Aviation, Osita Chidoka, Defence, Aliyu Gusau, Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, Environment, Laurencia Mallam.
Others at the meeting were the two ministers for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Bala Mohammed and Mrs. Oloye Olajumoke-Akinjide, Finance (State), Ambassador Bashir Yugudu, Foreign Affairs (State II), Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, the two ministers for Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu and Dr Khaliru Alhassan.
Also at the meeting were Ministers of Information, Labaran Maku, Interior, Abba Moro, Justice/Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, Mines and Steel Development, Mohammed Sada, National Planning, Abubakar Suleiman and Niger Delta Affairs, Steven Oru.
The other ministers who were also at the meeting were Power (State), Mohammed Wakil, Science and Technology, Abu Bulama, Sports, Dr. Tamuno Danagogo, Trade and Investment (State), Samuel Ortom, Transport, Idris Umar, Women Affairs, Mrs. Zainab Maina, the two Ministers of Works, Mike Onolememen and Adedayo Adeyeye and Special Duties, Taminu Turaki.
