A former Minister of Health, Prof. Eyitayo Lambo, has commended the Federal Government’s effort in the successful eradication of the Ebola Viral Disease in the country.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday, Lambo said he was worried when the Liberian-born diplomat Patrick Sawyer brought ebola into the country.
He said his worry stemmed from the fact that Nigeria was faced with a possible epidemic with a health system he described as “still very fragile”.
The former minister said that he was however, impressed at how the Federal and Lagos State governments handled the situation as all hands were on deck to fight the disease.
“I was in England when the issue of Ebola came up. I was nervous because when there was Ebola in Congo, I was there at that time and I remembered that it killed so many people.
“I know that our health system is still very fragile, so I was worried because I knew we were now going to be dealing with an epidemic in Nigeria.
“ But I was impressed when I heard what steps the government was taking, and I later learnt that government had put down N1.8 billion to fight the disease and I found that to be very commendable.
“I was very happy and impressed that when I arrived in Nigeria, at the airport in Abuja, I saw that every passenger were screened and properly monitored.’’
According to Lambo, Nigeria was able to eradicate Ebola because all hands were on deck to fight the disease.
“To me it was an achievement, and it is because we took it seriously, we took all the precautions and the general public was also aware, because awareness is very important.”
Lambo stressed that though there was no case of Ebola at present, the government should not relent in making sure that the country remained Ebola-free as Nigeria was still at risk.
(NAN)
