President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has welcomed today’s declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that Nigeria is now officially Ebola-free after 42 days without any incidence of the Ebola Virus Disease.
President Jonathan said in a statement he has dedicated the certification to the many patriotic health workers, volunteers and ordinary Nigerians who worked tirelessly, some of them paying the ultimate price, to stop the deadly virus in its track after it entered the country in July this year.
“The President seizes this opportunity to also reiterate his appreciation of the contributions of state governments, WHO and other international health organisations, relatives of infected persons and other Nigerians who either courageously underwent the rigours of being quarantined or complied with all directives issued by health authorities to defeat the virus”Presidential Spokesman,Reuben Abati said in a statement.
“He believes that Nigeria’s globally-acclaimed success against Ebola is a testimony to what Nigerians can achieve if they set aside their differences and work together, and calls on Nigerians to strive to replicate the unity of purpose and all-hands-on-deck approach adopted against Ebola in other areas of national life.
“As the nation applauds the success of its collective effort to stop the transmission of the Ebola Virus within Nigeria however, the President warns that the entire country must remain fully alert and vigilant against the re-entry of the virus.
“President Jonathan fully shares the view expressed by WHO in its congratulatory message to Nigeria that while we have won a battle against Ebola, the war will only truly end when West Africa, Africa and the world are declared free of Ebola.
Abati said further that “The President consequently directs that all the anti-Ebola measures taken after the entry of the virus into the country should remain in place and that health officials should continue to actively screen persons entering the country through its air, land and sea borders for any sign of the virus.
“He also urges all Nigerians to continue to follow the anti-Ebola advisories on sanitation and personal hygiene issued by Federal and State Health authorities.”
Also,former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has commended the successful eradication of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria, a feat he said, would change the negative perception of the country by the outside world.
In a press statement issued by his media office in Abuja on Monday, the former Vice President said the Government of Nigeria, Lagos and Rivers States’ governments should be commended for this remarkable achievement in the face of the grimmest medical crisis that the country found itself dealing with.
He said the successful eradication of Ebola and the declaration of Nigeria as Ebola-free zone was a clear demonstration of the outcome of collaboration, hard work and commitment of the Government of Nigeria, Lagos and Rivers States’ governments.
Atiku said he was superbly impressed with the amazing manner Nigeria had proved to the world that it had the will, commitment and human resources to deal with critical challenges of this nature.
He explained that when leaders work together for the common good of the society, there was always a ray of hope for the nation.
The former Vice President also extolled the virtues of the medical personnel during the battle to control the spread of Ebola. He said he was touched by the sacrifices of these medical personnel who sacrificed their own lives to save others.
However, Atiku Abubakar advised the entire country not to rest on its oars until the last vestiges of the Ebola virus are destroyed.
He said every country must demonstrate the capacity to carry its fate in its own hands instead of relying on the outside world, and that he was proud Nigeria demonstrated that capacity.
Nigeria’s Minister of Health Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu said “The declaration of the end of the recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Nigeria represents a major milestone of the Goodluck Jonathan Administration.
“I congratulate Mr. President and the Governors of Lagos, Enugu and Rivers States. I also congratulate the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies –the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Port Health Service, the State Ministries of Health of Lagos, Enugu and Rivers, the WHO, UNICEF, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, MSF and other partners who were part of the team under the leadership of the Minister of Health.
“I am indeed gladdened that by divine providence, this declaration coincides with my leaving office as Minister of Health. As the outgoing Minister of Health, this declaration symbolically presents a dignifying seal of the achievements of the Federal Ministry of Health during my tenure as Minister of Health of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He said further “Several people have asked me what I thought was the most critical success factor in the Nigeria’s containment effort against the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak. Undoubtedly, the most critical success factor was leadership- strong, effective, focused and committed leadership provided by President Goodluck Jonathan himself and replicated at various levels down the ladder. I am convinced that without this quality of leadership, it would have been extremely difficult for the EVD outbreak not only to be tamed but to be driven out of Nigeria.
“Next to leadership is a factor closely linked to leadership: effective coordination of the various collaborating partners. Under a single leadership, all the contributing partners were moulded into a single, almost homogenous, team. This is one factor that may be lacking in the control efforts of other countries. The Private Sector and the Media also played key role which greatly facilitated the containment of the disease.
Professor Chukwu averred that “Nigeria has won the battle against Ebola Virus but this world war rages on on other fronts in other countries. The war certainly is not over. A reinforced Ebola Virus could still invade Nigeria. Given this risk of possibility of re-infection, there is need to maintain the state of high alertness at all our ports of entry. We cannot afford to lower our guard. This risk and the risk to other countries can only be eliminated through the setting up of a system similar to the Nigerian one under the leadership of the United Nations but with the operational wing built around ECOWAS.
“The Disease needs to be eliminated from every country of the world. It is only then that each country can breathe a sigh of relief.
“As long as there is a case of EVD in any part of the world, every country of the world, every human being in this planet remains at risk.
“Unlike an ordinary unwanted guest, the Ebola Virus is an unwanted guest whom the unwilling host cannot send away from his premises, but at best must accommodate in his boys quarter, feed the virus until either the virus dies or the host dies. This metaphor explains the much that can be expected from a country’s health system as far as EVD is concerned.
“Nigeria like other countries will not have the control over the presentation of the disease at any of its ports of entry. However, it is the responsibility of the country’s surveillance system to ensure that any case presenting at any of our ports of entry is rapidly identified and isolated. That is the only way the country will remain safe from the Ebola Virus Disease pending its global elimination.
He urged “ the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies to remain watchful, while I urge Nigerians and other residents of Nigeria to sustain and even improve upon the new level of sanitation and personal hygiene practices,
