“There is no case of Ebola in Nigeria”, please resume September 22 || GEJ pleads with the NUT

by Laila Ibrahim

In reaction to threat by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) to embark on a nationwide strike as a result of school resumption date moved forward by the federal government, President Goodluck Jonathan has appealed for a rethink.

The Federal Government had earlier proposed October 13th as the resumption date for Primary and Secondary schools but later moved forward the date to September 22, 2014; a decision which was largely rejected by the NUT, stating that the government was yet to put in place the necessary equipment in schools to prevent the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, the National President of the NUT, Dr. Michael Alogba Olukoya said only few states have trained teachers on the EVD, and that teachers have been directed to stay away from schools until the government makes available all preventive and protective gadgets to fight Ebola, such as infra-red thermometers, sanitizers, running water, gloves and teachers adequately trained.

Addressing journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President pleaded with the NUT not to embark on the proposed industrial action, noting that there was no longer cause for alarm as the country is now almost free and well prepared to stem any new cases of Ebola that may emerge.

“I will plead with NUT and other unions that this does not require industrial action. They should commend government, they worked with us, they are Nigerians, all Nigerians must work together to make sure that contain Ebola. Why do we want to create problems while it is not necessary, it is uncalled for.

“Presently there is no case of Ebola in Nigeria, nobody in Nigeria has Ebola now. All the people that had the symptoms of Ebola have recovered, out of 19 we lost seven and the others have recovered, yes they are few people we are observing. That is not to say we may not record Ebola again as long Ebola is still in the West Coast, it is there in Guinea Conakry, it is there in Liberia, it is there in Sierra Leone. The likelihood that the character like the Late Sawyer can come in one way or the other is also open. But government is also very mindful of that. Presently, our airports are properly protected if Sawyer were to arrive Nigeria now, no Nigerian would have contracted Ebola because of the level of preparation”

The President explained that the continued shutting down of schools will only amount to the continuous stigmatization of Nigerian citizens as this sends out the wrong signals.

“As long as we Nigerians close all our public institutions because of Ebola, the dispatches that goes to the whole world is that Ebola is a problem in Nigeria. And as long as we declare that Ebola is a problem in Nigeria, any Nigerian that travels out will be treated as someone that has Ebola. We have been able to manage Ebola and the whole world is happy with us and we must tell the whole world that we have managed Ebola and no Nigerian should segregated because of Ebola.

“In fact Osun State was to have their festival and the news came to me to cancel it I said no Ebola is no longer a threat in Nigeria and we must tell the world that we have been able to contained Ebola.

“I dare say is NUT ‎saying that until the world is able to end Ebola is Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone before Nigeria should open our institutions? It is not right. Government is not a fool, its not any labour body that asked us to take that decision, we took it because we felt that we must protect our citizens.

“This is one government that discusses with anybody that has issues to discuss. Even NUT has no reason to threaten industrial action because of Ebola, the governors took that decision. I called all the governors of the states to come with their commissioners of health. On the day of that meeting I did not even allow them to speak because they will play politics. I asked all the commissioners including the Secretary of Health in Abuja, to brief us ‎on the steps they have taken and they listened to their colleagues because it was also a peer review process. If you are hiding certain things by the time you hear your colleagues you will go back and get things done.

“We are sure that even if one mad Sawyer comes again, nobody will contract Ebola. We have managed Ebola very well, the world is happy we must tell the world that no Nigerian should be suspected of Ebola and that is the position of government”.

The President used the opportunity to congratulate Nigerians for their cooperation in the management of the Ebola virus.

“I use this opportunity to thank all the governors because I met with all the governors and all the commissioners for health and all the states set up machineries to manage the Ebola if at all it turned up. I have to specifically appreciate the governors of Lagos and Rivers State, that had incidence of Ebola and how they worked with federal government to manage the situation” he said.

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