EBOLA AND SUCCESS

This is a spectacular success story. It shows that Ebola can be contained but we must be clear that we have only won a battle; the war will only end when West Africa is also declared free of Ebola.

It was with these words that the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, Rui Gama Vaz, declared Nigeria Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) free, after 42 days or two incubation periods of 21 days each. These days, with glad tidings few and far between, we cannot harp enough on the importance of this piece of cheering news. I have since read and watched various foreign media analyses on how we got this one right. However, we all seem to miss the divine intervention that was key to our success here. It must be now clear to the whole world that Nigeria is God’s own country. The divine so worked out for Nigeria that even our shortcomings became sources of strength in tackling Ebola. Hallelujah!

Our penchant for fright as a people is well perceived. Maybe this could be traced to years of demoralising military dictatorship and civilian recklessness. Our day-to-day life is ruled by fear so when the index case of Ebola was announced, we had more than enough reasons to panic. We knew how inadequate our health facilities were and how ill-equipped the few in existence were. We understand the situation of our land and sea borders; how porous and susceptible to external infiltration we are. In fact, we know how possible it is for aircraft to depart or enter our airports, and how due process can always be sacrificed when some naira notes exchange hands. Above all, doctors in the public health sector were on strike! Facing the menacing Ebola virus seemed insurmountable by our standards.

Right from the moment Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer set foot on our soil, God’s providence started fighting Ebola on our behalf. That this first case was recorded in Lagos (and not elsewhere else) was highly significant to its containment. And what if the man wasn’t admitted at Dr Ohiri’s First Consultants Hospital, Obalende, in Lagos, where one of his hero doctors, the late Ameyo Adadevoh, was on hand? Dr Adadevoh was harassed, pressured, intimidated and even threatened with a lawsuit to release Sawyer, but the hospital stood their ground and quarantined the diplomat. Those of us who know Obalende would understand the danger had they succumbed to intimidation and released Sawyer.  The late Dr Adadevoh was a great-grandchild of one of Nigeria’s early nationalists, Herbert Macaulay. May her soul rest in peace. Also, the majority of the 8 fatalities recorded during the outbreak were health workers. They were national heroes by the strictest definition of the word. Bravo to the private sector.

Above all, we saw how government should work during the outbreak. There was synergy, sincerity, accountability and a high sense of responsibility to the people. The Lagos State government and the Federal Ministry of Health worked collaboratively with development partners. There were joint press conferences and a single information clearinghouse. We didn’t have to hear from Professor Onyebuchi and then wait for Governor Fashola’s version.  Response and tracking mechanisms were near impeccable, as shown when the virus was transported to Rivers State. Once there, similar concerted effort, commitment and hard work were put into containing the situation. For once, we did not have to devise conspiracy theories and finger pointing. No political gimmicks played out, despite the fact that cases were recorded in Lagos and Rivers – APC-controlled states. Perhaps, this is an instructive factor in the victory over Ebola.

While we celebrate victory over Ebola, we should hearken to the counsel of Rui Gama Vaz that, “Nigeria’s geographical position and extensive borders makes the country vulnerable to additional imported cases of Ebola Virus Disease.” We must therefore share our success story with our ravaged West African brothers by teaching and comparing notes with them on how to tackle the disease. Also, there are still challenges in our health sector. This victory should not be used to mask those challenges. 

However, by far our biggest lesson in containing the Ebola virus is that we’ve been given a first hand template of how things should work. If we intend to grow as a nation, Ebola has offered us a model. We cannot solve our problems divided, embittered and intolerant. We cannot solve our problems without carrying the people along and without being accountable to them. The way to solve our problems is the way we cheer the Super Eagles when they do us proud and how we criticize them when we are let down. No APC, no PDP; no Christian, no Muslim; no North, no South; no Yoruba, no Ibo, no Hausa; just Nigeria. That is the way to go.