President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, described the late American-Liberian, Patrick Sawyer’s visit that heralded the entry of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, into the country, as “pure madness.” This came as the Federal Government appealed to Nigerians not to panic and adhere to the highest possible personal hygiene measures and safety guidelines issued by the Federal Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, fears that more Nigerians may fall victim of the Ebola virus heightened, yesterday, as the Federal Government confirmed the 10th case of the disease after the death of the index case (the first case), bringing the total number of cases to 10. The President, who spoke publicly for the first time since the outbreak of the disease in the country, expressed disappointment with the way and manner the late Sawyer brought Ebola to Nigeria.
Late Sawyer, whose arrival in Lagos on July 20, 2014, and eventual death five days later in a private hospital, sparked off the dreaded Ebola Virus saga in the country, was a consultant to the Liberian government. He was said to be under surveillance in Liberia for a suspected case of the Ebola Virus Disease, but evaded authorities in Monrovia and tragically boarded a plane for Lagos in Nigeria, via Lome in Togo and Accra in Ghana.
His intention, according to reports was to connect to Calabar in Nigeria to attend a two-day retreat organized by the ECOWAS Commission, and later the same week to Atlanta, Georgia in the USA to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. Speaking at the Annual Interfaith Conference in Abuja, President Jonathan, however, assured citizens that the Federal Government was ready to stop the spread of the Ebola virus.