Skip to main content

Pres. Jonathan condemns stigmatization of Nigerians over Ebola

Find the State House press below...
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Wednesday in Abuja 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 particularly denounced 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. 

Reuben Abati

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COMMUNIQUE OF THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF IBADAN ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE MEETING AT THE POPE JOHN PAUL II PASTORAL CENTRE, ADO-EKITI FROM 11TH TO 12TH AUGUST, 2014

Preamble We, Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, comprising Ibadan Archdiocese, Ondo, Ekiti, Ilorin, Oyo and Osogbo Dioceses have held our meeting at the Pastoral Institute, Ado Ekiti from 11th till 12th August 2014. We have prayerfully deliberated on matters of pastoral, spiritual, social and political interest and now conclude with the following communique: 1. The Pallium, of the new Archbishop of Ibadan Province We thank God Almighty for the event of the imposition of the pallium, the symbol of the authority of the Metropolitan archbishop, on the new Archbishop of Ibadan, Most Reverend Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin on the 29th of June 2014 in Rome by His Holiness, Pope Francis. We thank the large Nigerian delegation that witnessed the occasion and pray that the Archbishop’s tenure witness unprecedented pastoral progress in our Province. 2. The Ebola Epidemic. The Ebola epidemic is a source of worry to all peoples all over the world. We highly commend the government ...
Post a Comment
Read more

CAS Upholds Suarez's 4-Month Ban

Luis Suarez's four-month biting ban is upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but he is cleared to train. A full explanation of the Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling will not be published until a later date. Suarez's lawyers argued world governing body FIFA's decision to suspend him from all "football-related activity" for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup was excessive. The Uruguay striker, 27, was also banned for nine international matches. Suarez was a Liverpool player at the time of his clash with Chiellini but has since left Anfield to join Barcelona in a £75m deal. Barcelona's La Liga season starts at home to Elche on 24 August. An eight-game ban would have meant Suarez was unavailable until El Classico at Real Madrid on 26 October. At last week's hearing in Lausanne, Suarez's legal team argued he should be allowed to train with Barca during his suspension and that his ban should be limited to internati...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Great Chinese Exodus Many Chinese are leaving for cleaner air, better schools and more opportunity. But Beijing is keeping its eye on them.

A recent report showed that 64% of China's rich are either migrating overseas or have plans to leave the country. Political scientist James To, who has written a book on the subject, tells the WSJ's Deborah Kan how the Chinese government is using propaganda campaigns abroad to ensure loyalty from overseas Chinese. Even when the emperors did their utmost to keep them at home, the Chinese ventured overseas in search of knowledge, fortune and adventure. Manchu Qing rulers thought those who left must be criminals or conspirators and once forced the entire coastal population of southern China to move at least 10 miles inland. But even that didn't put an end to wanderlust. Sailing junks ferried merchants to Manila on monsoon winds to trade silk and porcelain for silver. And in the 19th century, steamships carried ar...
Post a Comment
Read more