by Kolapo Olapoju

The president’s spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati has denied reports that President Goodluck Jonathan’s delegation to the United States for the African/American Leaders Summit was screened for exposure to the dreaded Ebola virus on arrival at Washington DC.

Although members of the President’s advanced team arrived the US on Friday and Saturday, Jonathan and other top government officials arrived the US on Sunday, 3 August for the summit billed for Monday, 4 August.

President Barack Obama had on Friday, 1 August, said that some African participants of the summit from Ebola-ravaged countries that have even a marginal risk, or an infinitesimal risk of having been exposed would be screened for exposure to the dreaded virus.

However, shortly after his arrival in the US, Dr. Abati, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, revealed on his Twitter handle that no member of the President’s entourage had been screened.

Abati tweeted photographs of the President taken on his arrival at the airport while being received by top US and Nigerian government officials, after which he was asked by a Twitter user, Okunola Bukky, to confirm if any of the delegation was screened.

He responded saying, “Nobody took any Ebola test, please.”

Another member of the President’s advance team also confirmed that no one was subjected to Ebola screening, saying, “Why will we be screened? How? By who? There is nothing like that. At least, nobody screened me.”

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