Ebola: Jonathan condemns stigmatization of Nigerians
(Nigeria )
President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned the stigmatization of Nigerians by
some countries over recent cases of the Ebola Virus Disease in the country.
Speaking at a meeting with Mr. David Navarro, a Special
Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General, President Jonathan faulted the discriminatory
actions such as that which forced Nigeria ’s
team to the Youth Olympics in China
to abandon its participation.
Noting that there was no justification for such
stigmatization of Nigerians since the Ebola Virus Disease had been effectively contained
in the country and never attained epidemic levels, the President called for the
cessation of discriminatory actions against Nigerians over the virus and urged
the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon
to support the call.
Responding to the Secretary General’s commendation of Nigeria ’s
management of the threat of Ebola, President Jonathan praised the Federal
Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Government and all Nigerians for the success
achieved so far in containing the virus and avoiding a national epidemic.
“All hands have been on deck to contain the virus here. I
commend my team and the Lagos State Government. We have been able to set
politics aside and work in unison to deal with a national threat.
“All other Nigerians have played a part too by complying
with the directives and advice we have issued to stop the virus from spreading
any further. The success we have had is a testimony to what we can achieve as
people if we set aside our differences and work together,” he told Mr. Navarro.
The President assured the Special Envoy that in spite of the
seeming success of its containment measures, the Federal
Government and its agencies will remain vigilant to guard against further cases
of Ebola in the country.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and we will also
support other affected African countries as much as we can because we cannot be
completely safe from the virus as long as it continues to ravage some countries
in our sub-region and continent. We will continue to work with the
international community to curb the outbreak in other countries,” President
Jonathan pledged.
Mr. Navarro who had
visited Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the countries worst hit by Ebola before
coming to Nigeria, told the President that he had come, on the instruction of
the UN Secretary-General, to applaud Nigeria’s successful containment of the
virus.
“The Secretary-General asked me to come here too, not
because you have an Ebola problem, but because you have tackled it in an
exemplary fashion.
“Your personal leadership on the matter has been key. There
may still be some work to be done before the virus is completely cleared out
from here, but other countries can learn from your fine example,” Mr. Navarro
told the President.
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