Ebola: Federal Government Says It Has Situation Under Control

By Emameh Gabriel

The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that the Ebola situation in the country is under control, following the detection of an index case in Abuja.

Speaking to newsmen after an emergency meeting of the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness, Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats at the State House on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Task Force and Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, said the government has the capacity to contain the disease.

Gbajabiamila disclosed that the Task Force has been working behind the scenes since its inauguration in June this year, which made it easy to detect the index case discovered on Tuesday.

“It’s very important to note this. Since the issue of Ebola came up in June, there have been about 44,000 flights in and out of Nigeria. So, it’s because of what the Ministry of Health, the task force and all the agencies have been doing. All hands have been on deck,” he said.

“The passenger with the disease showed no symptoms, which came four days after the woman got into Abuja, and it was the identification process and the protocols that were put in place that enabled the quick identification. That also speaks to the country’s capacity and ability to deal with this disease as best as we can.”

He assured Nigerians that the Task Force would strengthen the protocols and ensure more rigorous enforcement moving forward.

“The Task Force is on top of it. NCDC is on top of it; everyone is on deck. We must build community trust and avoid panic, but it’s also important to state clearly that this is a collaborative effort between the government and the people,” he added, appealing to Nigerians to respond to calls for compliance for the good of all.

Also speaking, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, said Nigeria has competent health authorities, including private hospital operators and agencies such as Immigration, Aviation, Interior, and subnational actors, who have put surveillance systems in place across the country and are ready to respond.

“We have been conducting contact tracing diligently and isolating those contacts of the index imported case in this country. We will continue to do that, and we want to reassure Nigerians that the federal government, alongside its technical partners, the World Health Organisation, the Africa Centre for Disease Control, and our own Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, have activated the incident management system across the various pillars,” Pate said.

“They are working day and night diligently, and our hospital capabilities are also activated, such that we can aim to contain this case, as has been the case in other countries, but we will not relent. Our population should respect public health directives.”

The Minister further noted that most states have adequate response plans, adding that resources are being mobilised.

“We have the resources, and we’re mobilising those capabilities. And we’re also confident that if we continue on this path, we should be able to dent this outbreak,” he said.

Pate also urged citizens to avoid misinformation while combating the virus.

“The key also for the population is to avoid spreading misinformation or baseless rumours, which can cause unnecessary panic. The Task Force leadership has met. WHO and AfricaCDC are working closely with the team.

“In addition to our exceptional public health physicians who had successfully tamed this virus in 2014, and had contributed to other countries, we are confident that if we continue in this direction, we will emerge out of this crisis in a much stronger place,” he assured.

Other members of the committee at the meeting were the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap; Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Bunmi Kuku; General Manager (FAAN), Adamu Adamu; WHO Representative, Pavel Ursu; and Special Regional Representative to the Director General, Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Aliko Ahmed.

Others include the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations and Secretary of the Task Force, Oyinade Nathan-Marsh; Public Health Executive, Niniola Williams; Mandate Secretary for Health and Environment, FCT, Dr Dolapo Fasawe; and Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (State House Medical Centre), Dr Victoria Ogala.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olajumoke Oduwole; Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi; and Director of Operations, Licensing and Training Standards (DOLTS), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Captain Donald Spiff, also joined the meeting via Zoom.