Even though there have been
consistent conflicting reports by
government authorities about the
status, spread and number of victims
of the dreaded Ebola virus disease
since the announcement of its
outbreak in Port Harcourt, the
Rivers State capital last week
Wednesday, August 27, 2014, one good
thing is the consciousness of
personal hygiene the fear of the
virus has engendered in the people.
Apart from reasonable efforts to
keep their immediate surroundings
clean and regularly disinfected,
there is now regular washing of
hands and use of sanitizers to keep
the 'no cure virus' under check
among the populace. But of greater
concern is, whether the government
and the relevant authorities are
really serious about containing the
spread of the Ebola virus.
According to reports from the
Nigerian Medical Association (NMA),
there's hardly anything on ground to
show that the government is ready to
face the challenge posed by the
disease against the bogus and
repeated claim by Gov Chibuike
Amaechi that the State is ready and
has put adequate measures in place
to fight the scourge.
All that has been witnessed on daily
basis in the past one week are
regular press briefings by Dr
Sampson Parker, the Commissioner in
charge of health in the State during
which he has dished out over three
different numbers as persons already
traced and captured for having
contact with the late Dr. Iyke Sam
Enenmuo, who treated the alleged
Nigerian diplomat, and friend of
Patrick, Sawyer, the American
Liberian who sneaked into Port
Harcourt from Lagos and through whom
the virus entered the State.
Dr Parker gave the initial number of
those traced and captured as 50
persons and later 160 to 200, which
later dropped to 60 and again 50.
According to him, by Monday, three
of them had been quarantined for
testing positive, and by the
following day (Tuesday) the number
reduced to one as two had been
discharged from the health control
centre located in Emohua.
While the people were still
grappling with this confusing
information, report came in that the
alleged Ebola importer to Port
Harcourt, Mr. Odukoya said he was
never in Port Harcourt let alone
receiving treatment in a Port
Harcourt Hotel and, or clinic.
That notwithstanding, what is of
utmost importance is making
conscientious effort to contain
further spread of the virus as its
presence in Nigeria is no longer a
matter of conjectures by settling
down for business and not leaving
the 'call to duty' to mediocres,
opportunists and political jobbers
who may not understand the grave
implication of gambling with the
lives of millions of Rivers people
and other Nigerians resident in the
State.
There is no doubt that some
misguided elements will see this
glaring threat to human lives as yet
another opportunity to enrich
themselves not realizing that you
must be alive to enjoy such loot. This warning becomes pertinent and
timely because the claim by the
State government through the
Governor himself who is not directly
involved in the management and
disbursement of funds for the
procurement of the necessary
facilities and checks that the sum
of three hundred million naira
(N300m) has so far been spent on the
control of the Ebola virus disease
is suspect.
One begins to wonder on what such
huge sum was spent aside the
intervention funds only in one week
when Lagos State government that has
been battling with same scourge in
the past one month has not spent
such amount. It should also be noted that
organizing workshops for the health
controllers is important but is
never the crux of the matter
especially when organizers seen to
outnumber the trainees.This must be
guided against as the funds meant
for the facilities could be
channeled ungainly salaries and
allowances approved/ unapproved.
This may have prompted the State
chapter of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, to send a note of
warning to the State government and
all relevant authorities charged
with the control of the dreaded
Ebola Virus Disease in the State to
be cautious and see this call to
duty as an assignment that requires
total commitment devoid of personal
interest and extraneous influences.
While praying for a very successful
fight and God's guidance in the
early control of the killer disease,
the PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah,in
a statement signed by his Special
Adviser on Media, Jerry Needam,
warned against the attempt to use
the Ebola disease to loot the State
treasury by those in charge.The Party said the charge becomes
necessary in view of the alarming
sum of N300m claimed by Gov Chibuike
Amaechi to have already spent on
containing the spread of the disease
in the State only in one week.
This to us, the party notes, appears
gravely bloated against the backdrop
of the information from the Rivers
State chapter of the Nigerian
Medical Association (NMA) that the
State presently lacks the requisite
facilities to put the Ebola scourge
under check which is a direct
contrast to the claim of Gov
Amaechi. “This is a very serious issue
because it has to do with life. The
earlier the better and does not call
for politicking. The killer disease
is not a member of any political
party and spares, none based on
political affiliation. So all hands
must be on deck to ensure that our
generation is saved from total
annihilation”, the PDP remarked.
The Party however enjoins all Rivers
people, residents in the State and
indeed, all Nigerians to pray with
faith, believing that God does not
abandon His people not even in the
fight against Ebola.
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