The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Liberia

  • Nigeria deploys 700 soldiers to Liberia

    Nigeria deploys 700 soldiers to Liberia

    No fewer than 700 officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army are set for deployment for peace keeping operation in Liberia, just as the Army authority has warned the troops to prevent Ebola through hygienic living

    The troops were warned to avoid any act capable of dragging the image of Nigeria and Nigerian Army to the mud, as the army will not accept a situation where its soldiers are seen as soft targets.

    General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Kenneth Osuji gave the warning while addressing the troops at the graduation ceremony marking the end of their pre-deployment training in Jaji, Kaduna State on Friday.

    ‎General Osuji who is the GOC of the 1 Brigade, which is made up of the Nigerian Battalion (NIBATT)36 in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) said, they must work with the rules of engagement of the mission and respect the cultural and religious sensitivity of Liberia people.

    According to him, “Be reminded that the Nigerian Army will not accept any situation where its troops are seen as soft targets or conducting themselves in unprofessional manner such as trafficking in illicit substances of any kind including alcohol and drugs.

    “Additionally, you must respect the cultural and religious sensitivity of the people of Liberia. You must exhibit the highest sense of personal/environmental hygiene as Liberia is just emerging from an EBOLA epidemic,” the GOC stressed.

  • World Cup qualifier: Falconets call up 36 for Liberia

    World Cup qualifier: Falconets call up 36 for Liberia

    Ahead of next month’s 2016 FIFA U- 20 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture against Liberia, Falconets’ coach Peter Dedevbo has invited 36 players to attend a training camp.

    As previously revealed, Chinwendu Ihezuo, Chichi Sandra and Aminat Yakubu have been named to the provisional roster.

    Joining the trio are Ugochi Emenayo, Esther Elijah, Tessy Biawho, Uchenna Kalu, Mary Ologbosere, Joy Bokiri and Rashidat Ajibade, who all starred for The Flamingoes at the FIFA Under-17s last year.

    The invited girls are to report to the team’s Serob Legacy Hotel, Abuja camp on Tuesday, 23rd June, 2015 with their training kit, medical certificate of fitness and international passport.

  • Ebola death toll hits 7,373 in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea

    The death toll from Ebola in the three worst-affected countries in West Africa has risen to 7,373 among 19,031 cases known to date there, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday.

    The latest data, posted overnight on the WHO website, reflected nearly 500 new deaths from the worst ever outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since previous WHO figures were issued on Dec. 17.

    Sierra Leone accounts for the most cases, 8,759, against 7,819 for Liberia. But Sierra Leone’s death toll of 2,477 is far less than 3,346 recorded in Liberia, leading some experts to question the credibility of the figures reported by Freetown.

    Sierra Leone’s government last week launched a major operation to contain the epidemic in West Africa’s worst-hit country.

    President Ernest Bai Koroma said on national television that travel between all parts of the country had been restricted as part of “Operation Western Area Surge”, and public gatherings would be strictly controlled in the run-up to Christmas.

  • Lagos bars Liberia, others from trade fair

    Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) on Tuesday said they will not allow participants from some West African countries currently devastated by the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) such as Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone at this year’s International Trade Fair slated for between the 7th and 16th of next month,

    Briefing the media on the forth coming trade fair, Chairman, Trade Promotion Board of LCCI, Dr Micheal Olawale-Cole said the fair is intended to provide economic and commercial bridges between local and international investors, as the chamber is committed to provide a platform to broaden the horizon and scope of investment opportunities for both  exhibitors and visitors.

    Reiterating the commitment of the chamber to sustain and intensify their role as catalysts for business promotion, Olawale-Cole said the theme is “Promoting the Nigerian Economy as a Preferred Investment Destination”. He argued that with the latest rebasing of the economy, it has become imperative to further expose the potentials of the nation’s economy to both indigenous and international business people.

    The fair, he said, is billed to hold in three interconnected grounds at the main bowl of  Tafawa Balewa Square, the cricket pitch and the club arcade car park with a total available space  of over 40,000 square meters. He also stated that to counter the challenge of the absence of permanent indoor exhibition hall, the chamber has acquired two large marquee tents, measuring a total of 4,500 square metres to provide high quality and standard  exhibition halls for exhibitors. These tents will come with new air-conditioners and flooring materials that will ensure a good ambiance for all exhibitors.

    On foreign participation, Olawale-Cole said the fair has enjoyed more popularity and patronage by the day within the international business community. According to him, the recognition of Nigeria as Africa’s largest economy has impacted positively on the fair. In his words: “As at today, we have confirmed registration from China, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cameroun, Argentina and Egypt. Others are Indonesia, Pakistan, India and the European Union delegation.

    On security, he pledged the provision of good security cover for all visitors and exhibitors alike. He said: “We have engaged reputable security firm, which shall work in close collaboration with the Nigerian Police and the Federal Fire Service. We shall engage the services of anti-bomb and anti-terrorism units of the Nigeria Police in addition to the deployment of closed circuit television (CCTV) camera for surveillance around all locations of the fair arena. This is in addition to working with relevant ministries and agencies to ensure free vehicular movement.

    The Chamber also used the opportunity of the announcement of the fair to unveil her goodwill ambassadors who graced the occasion such as Chief Executives of Main One cable, Ms Funke Opeke, CEO KAYMU, Ms Evangeline Wiles, popular artiste, TU face, Ice Prince, Brymo,  Vector, on –air- personality, Olisa Adibua amongst others.

  • Ebola casts pall over Eid holiday in West Africa

    The raging Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 3,400 people in West Africa cast a pall yesterday over celebrations in the region of Eid-el-Kabir.

    In Guinea, where an estimated 85 percent of the 11 million people are Muslim, the day appeared almost as any other. The Eid fields and squares were empty, as people heeded their government’s warning to avoid large gatherings.

    People slaughtered their rams in small groups at home, rather than at the usual large parties. Merchants complained that few people bought new clothes, as is typical for the holiday.

    “Look at how people are unkempt. Poorly dressed. Have you ever seen Tabaski celebration like this? I never have,” said Mamoudou Conde, a 28-year-old who sells car parts in Conakry, Guinea’s capital. “Merchants had to slash their prices on holiday clothes. They had no clients.”

    In Sierra Leone, which also has a sizable Muslim population among its six million people, the United Council of Imams warned believers not to shake hands or embrace. It was a reminder that even on holidays, the Health Ministry’s “ABC” guidelines – Avoid Bodily Contact – must be followed.

    Ebola spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of the sick, and with no licensed treatment available, the only way to stop an outbreak is to completely isolate those who are infected. But with more than 7,400 people believed infected – most of them in countries with woefully inadequate health systems at the best of times – there are far more sick people than beds in isolation units to treat them.

    In a bid to stop the spread, the hardest-hit countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have all issued similar rules, encouraging people to keep their distance and wash their hands frequently. The disease has also touched Nigeria and Senegal, but neither country has had a new infection in weeks. The United States confirmed its first case, in a traveller from Liberia, this week.

    “Ebola is undermining the very foundations of our traditions,” said Idrissa Sall, a 32-year-old driver in Conakry. “How can I greet my parents, my children when I’m barred from giving kisses?”

  • Ebola: Liberia ‘faces huge surge’

    Ebola is spreading exponentially in Liberia, with thousands of new cases expected in the next three weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

    Conventional methods to control the outbreak were “not having an adequate impact”, the UN’s health agency added.

    At least 2,100 people infected with Ebola have died so far in the West African states of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria this year.

    The WHO says 79 health workers have been killed by the virus.

    Organisations combating the outbreak needed to scale-up efforts “three-to-four fold”, the WHO said.

    It highlighted Liberia’s Montserrado county, where 1,000 beds were needed for infected Ebola patients but only 240 were available, leading to people being turned away from treatment centres.

    Transmission of the virus in Liberia was “already intense”, and taxis being used to transport infected patients appeared to be “a hot source of potential virus transmission”, the WHO said.

    “As soon as a new Ebola treatment facility is opened, it immediately fills to overflowing with patients, pointing to a large but previously invisible caseload,” it added.

    “When patients are turned away… they have no choice but to return to their communities and homes, where they inevitably infect others.”

    The Ebola disease spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.

     

    Conventional means of controlling the outbreak, which include avoiding close physical contact with those infected and wearing personal protective equipment, were not working well in Liberia, the WHO said.

     

    A street artist paints a mural informing people of the symptoms of Ebola in the Liberian capital Monrovia

    However, they appeared to be more effective in “areas of limited transmission” such as Nigeria and Senegal, it added.

    Local communities, especially those in rural areas, had been able to slow the transmission when they put in place their own protective measures, the WHO statement said.

    ‘Economic impact’

    Also on Monday, the African Union urged its member states to lift travel bans imposed to contain the virus, saying that the bans could hurt the region’s economy.

    “We must be careful not to introduce measures that may have more… social and economic impact than the disease itself,” commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in quotes carried by AFP news agency.

    The current outbreak has mortality rate of about 55%.

    Liberia has the highest number of reported cases and deaths, with more than 1,000 casualties so far.

    Hundreds have also died of the virus in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

    There have been at least eight deaths in Nigeria. One case has also been confirmed in Senegal but there have been no deaths so far.

     

  • Ebola: Liberia bans sailors from disembarking

    Ebola: Liberia bans sailors from disembarking

    LIBERIA will, henceforth,  deny permission for any crew to disembark from ships at its four seaports until the current Ebola epidemic is contained.

    Sailors on commercial ships can normally ask for a “show pass” allowing them to get off the vessel and access the port but the documents are being withdrawn to curb the spread of the virus, Matilda Parker, head of Liberia’s ports authority said yesterday

    “For vessels coming in we have cancelled show passes. Absolutely no one from on board vessels will be allowed down,” she told AFP.

    The country’s four seaports, including the Freeport of Monrovia, would adopt a “zero tolerance” approach, Parker said, against an outbreak which has claimed 1,500 lives since the start of the year.

    Liberia, the hardest-hit of five west African nations struggling with the epidemic, has seen almost 700 deaths.

    “For the workers who are going onboard vessels, they are going through three layers of screening at the gate, at the security desk and also at the peer. They have been instructed not to get in contact with anybody on board,” Parker added.

    Monrovia’s port is run by APM Terminals, which operates in 63 countries, as part of a deal committing the company to a $145 million investment including a 600-metre wharf and state-of-the-art container tracking technology.

    The port — known as the “gateway to Liberia’s economy” — handles the majority of imports in an economy which has to buy in almost all commodities, meaning the price of fuel, machinery, manufactured goods and food rely heavily on its smooth running.

  • Liberia gets Ebola drug

    Liberia gets Ebola drug

    Liberian officials faced an excruciating choice yesterday: deciding which handful of Ebola patients will receive an experimental drug that could prove life-saving, ineffective or even harmful.

    ZMapp, the untested Ebola drug, arrived in the West African country late Wednesday. Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah said three or four people would begin getting it yesterday. The government had previously said two doctors would receive the treatment, but it was unclear who else would.

    These are the last known doses of ZMapp left in the world. The San Diego-based company that developed it has said it will take months to build up even a modest supply.

    Doctors Without Borders, which is running many of the Ebola treatment centrer and whose staff have tussled with whether to provide ZMapp, said such choices present “an impossible dilemma”.

    Now Liberian officials are facing those questions.

    “The criteria of selection is difficult, but it is going to be done,” said Dr. Moses Massaquoi, who helped Liberia obtain the drug from Mapp Biopharmaceutical. “We are going to look at how critical people are. We are definitely going to be focusing on medical staff.”

    Massaquoi said people who were past the “critical phase” and looked likely to survive would not be treated with it.

    In this outbreak, over 50 percent of those sickened with Ebola have died, according to the U.N. health agency.

    Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at NYU Langone Medical Centre, said the choice would have to balance helping the largest number of people with learning the most from the treatments. Since it’s not clear whether the drug is effective, Caplan said the question is not whose life do we save, but “who gets the chance to be experimented on?”

    For that reason, recipients should be chosen at least partially based on whether they will make good experimental subjects. That could mean choosing people who have recently contracted the disease and are more likely to respond to treatment or younger patients. In order to study the long-term effects, doctors will likely prefer people who can be observed for months, he said, and that might eliminate people who live in remote places.

    Liberian officials stressed that only people who signed a consent form would receive the drug. Caplan said it was important to inform people about the risks of taking the drug, but that “if you’re terminally ill with a dreaded disease … you almost can’t imagine anybody saying no.”

  • Ebola: ‘My concerns on Liberia’s response’

    Ebola: ‘My concerns on Liberia’s response’

    George Sarwah Stewart Jr Coordinator, Media Development Group, Path and Chair of the Liberia Christian Journalists Network in this online interview with Lekan Otufodunrin speaks on the current Ebola crisis in Liberia and other parts of West Africa and what should be done.

    How will you describe the situation in Liberia and other parts of the country since the outbreak of Ebola disease, especially the death of Mr Patrick Sawyer from Liberia in Nigeria?
    The situation of Ebola in Liberia and three other countries including Nigeria is troubling and threatening to the whole of West Africa.  Specifically for Liberia, The virus has killed farmers, rural community dwellers and health workers.  It has shot down villages and instilled fear in ordinary and impoverished Liberians.
    The virus has disintegrated the Mano River Union Basin and West Africa. There are restrictions and blockage on cross-board travels.  Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea share common borders such as river, parcels of land that allows cross-borderline farming. Along the Mano River, there are same tribal groups, intermarriages and similar cultural practices. These cross-border values and way-of-life are being hampered and cut off to some extent because of the Ebola outbreak.
    West African citizens enjoy free movement with minimum immigration control within the region. Unfortunately, the Ebola virus has extended its wicked hands against the smooth movement of West Africans within their own region.
    What has been the reaction of the people to the declaration of state of emergency in your country and how is it affecting life generally?
    There are mixed reactions.  Some think it’s appropriate, others think it’s belated, while another set wants to wait to see the impact of the State of Emergency on curbing Ebola.  On Thursday, August 7, the Legislature convened from Independence Holiday to purposely receive President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s declaration of the state of Emergency. The House of Representatives endorsed the president’s declaration with few critical lawmakers asking for advanced payment of civil servant salaries for the 90 days they are expected to be off work.  The House of Senate is yet to deliberate on the State of Emergency but Senate Spokesman told state radio that there will be smooth passage of the State of Emergency at the Senate hopefully today.  The Liberian constitution gives the president the right to declare State of Emergency once the national security of the country is threatened by any external and internal force.  President is under constitutional duty to submit or declaration and supporting reason(s) to the Legislature for response in seven days.
    Already, the State of Emergency has taken hold of the country for fact that movement of people from Western Liberia connecting Sierra Leone are prevented from coming to Monrovia by Liberian soldiers. The army has set roadblocks and checkpoints preventing free movement.  Business women are spending their second day at one of the checkpoints three miles from Monrovia.
    What are your personal concerns about this issue and what do you think should be done to prevent spread of the disease?
    I am concerned about the late response of our governments against Ebola when the virus could have been contained earlier.  When the virus showed signs in Guinea-Liberia border sometimes in February, it was the most appropriate time for containment, but little was done until the virus killed medical doctors and other health workers as well as poor community dwellers.
    I’m also concerned about the closure of health facilities in Liberia.  This is leading to the death of others outside of Ebola.  There are curable sicknesses taking the lives of Liberians simply because no health facilities.
    The weakness of our Public Health System characterized by political deception is an impetus to the spread of the virus mostly in Liberia.  Eight of the 15 counties have reported Ebola cases.  In Monrovia most, people died at homes and in the communities with no or delayed response from the government to pick dead bodies, even though the first Five Million United States Dollars is at the disposal of the Liberia Task Force.

    Are you hopeful that the problem will be solved soon?
    This is where my faith as a Christian comes in.  Our government is quite confused and has shown no real strength. Only God is able to cleanse our nation and the rest of West Africa of this disease. Health experts have said with the heavy down pour of rain currently in Liberia, chances are the virus will keep striking more lives until the dries are here in two months.  A practical way forward could be the early release of trial preventive and curable drugs discovered in the USA.
    What do you think the world should know about the situation back home and what kind of assistance is required.
    People are vulnerable to other curable diseases apart from Ebola but cannot access health facilities.  The restriction of movement will deprive smooth business transaction that may have a trigger down effect on the locals. The price of Liberia’s staple rice is high already in Western Liberia where movement is restricted. As the days go by, situation may worsen.
    What do you think of the media reports about the situation in Liberia? What is your advice to the media to assist in curbing the disease?
    The media’s performance is collectively massive in the campaign to curb Ebola.  Both broadcast and print are all on the Ebola campaign. But the media show more public relations in favor of government, instead of spotlighting every side of the situation.  Government is slowly responding to community calls, there are unhealthy disposal of dead bodies by the government itself among other; while most of the media report less on these flip sides of the campaign.
    Do you think your government is doing enough?
    No, my government could do more. Our population is quite small to manage.  The government has not put on the emergency posture proportionately to the emergency nature of the Ebola situation in my country.
    Could the situation have been averted?
    As stated in my earlier response above, the situation could have been averted with the appropriate response confronting the disease at its smaller coverage in Lofa around Guinea Border.
    Any other thing you think should be of interest on this matter?
    Amidst the Ebola outbreak, there are reports of water well poisoning in communities by unknown people.  Few cases reported in Monrovia and other major cities such as Buchanan, Firestone area, Zwedru and others.  Few arrest are reportedly made but no independent investigation has been made as of yet.

  • ‘Ebola: God is our only hope in Liberia’

    For Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, these are not the best of times, considering the impact of the Ebola disease on the countries which are the hardest hit.

    I got an idea of how an average citizen of one of the countries feels about the situation when my colleague, George Sarwah Stewart Jr Coordinator, Media Development Group, Path and Chair of the Liberia Christian Journalists Network, sent me a facebook message saying “we are living in fear and worry in Monrovia.

    “God is our only hope right now. Government can’t stand anyone,” he stated.

    To get the full picture of the situation back in Liberia and his views on the issue, I sent him some questions which he promptly responded to.

    Excerpts from the interview are as follows:

    How will you describe the situation in Liberia and other parts of the country since the outbreak of Ebola disease, especially the death of Mr Patrick Sawyer from Liberia in Nigeria?

    The situation of Ebola in Liberia and three other countries including Nigeria is troubling and threatening to the whole of West Africa.  Specifically for Liberia, the virus has killed farmers, rural community dwellers and health workers.  It has shot down villages and instilled fear in ordinary and impoverished Liberians.

    The virus has disintegrated the Mano River Union Basin and West Africa. There are restrictions and blockage on cross-board travels.  Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea share common borders such as river, parcels of land that allows cross-borderline farming. Along the Mano River, there are same tribal groups, intermarriages and similar cultural practices. These cross-border values and way-of-life are being hampered and cut off to some extent because of the Ebola outbreak.

    West African citizens enjoy free movement with minimum immigration control within the region. Unfortunately, the Ebola virus has extended its wicked hands against the smooth movement of West Africans within their own region.

    What has been the reaction of the people to the declaration of state of emergency in your country and how is it affecting life generally?

    There are mixed reactions.  Some think it’s appropriate, others think it’s belated, while another set wants to wait to see the impact of the State of Emergency on curbing Ebola.  Already, the State of Emergency has taken hold of the country for fact that movement of people from Western Liberia connecting Sierra Leone are prevented from coming to Monrovia by Liberian soldiers. The army has set roadblocks and checkpoints preventing free movement.   Business women are spending their second day at one of the checkpoints 3 miles from Monrovia.

    What are your personal concerns about this issue and what do you think should be done to prevent spread of the disease?

    I am concerned about the late response of our governments against Ebola when the virus could have been contained earlier.  When the virus showed signs in Guinea-Liberia border sometimes in February, it was the most appropriate time for containment, but little was done until the virus killed medical doctors and other health workers as well as poor community dwellers.

    I’m also concerned about the closure of health facilities in Liberia.  This is leading to the death of others outside of Ebola.  There are curable sicknesses taking the lives of Liberians simply because no health facilities.

    Are you hopeful that the problem will be solved soon?

    This is where my faith as a Christian comes in.  Our government is quite confused and has shown no real strength. Only God is able to cleanse our nation and the rest of West Africa of this disease.

    Full text of interview online www.staging.thenationonlineng.net