EBOLA: Fashola tells Jonathan & PDP to Stop Claiming Credit - says tthey never saw Ebola

 Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos has said that the true heroes behind Nigeria’s success in curtailing the spread of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease are not those campaigning across the country.

In his Independence Day address in Lagos, Wednesday, Fashola said that credit of defeating Ebola should not be taken away from the health workers who curtailed the virus, especially in Lagos State.

President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP have been citing the Ebola success as part of their achievement.

But Fashola said: “I have heard some stories emanating from campaign podiums with claims of conquering Ebola. The question we must ask is whether those who make these claims saw Ebola?

“It is women like Stella Ameyo Adedevoh to whom such a claim rightly belongs. It is young Nigerians like Dr. Morris Ibeawuchi, who first made contact with the index case patient and continued to treat him, who saw and conquered Ebola. He got infected, from doing his job, got sick, survived and is back to his job. 

“It is first responders from the Lagos State Ministry of Health like Dr. Jide Idris, Dr. Yewande Adesina, Dr. Wale Ahmed, Dr. Kayode Oguntimehin who saw Ebola.
“They responded to the call from First Consultant Hospital. They spent 12 (Twelve) hours daily in the early days supervising the construction of Ebola containment facility [in Lagos] when the epidemic broke. 

“The Lagos State Infectious Disease Hospital which later became the epicenter of Ebola management used to house tuberculosis patients and patients with infectious diseases.
“Those patients vented their anger on these people when they had to be moved to create room for the Ebola centre. I know they spat at Dr. Adesina for doing her job...

“Dr. Abdul-Salam Nasidi of the National Disease Control Centre in Abuja saw and conquered Ebola. He helped in no small way to co-ordinate the containment.

“Dr. David Brett-Mayor of the World Health Organization saw and conquered Ebola. He single handedly started the Ebola isolation ward having cleared and cleaned the room. He admitted and cared for the patients before any Nigerian doctor joined him.

“Professor S. A. Omilabu, the dedicated virologist at LUTH, saw Ebola and conquered it. He coordinated the fault free testing for Ebola and managed all the samples professionally.

“Peter Adewuyi saw Ebola and conquered it. He led the contact tracing team of many dedicated officers for the first 2 (two) weeks.

“Mrs. Funmi Lagbokun, Mrs. Modupe Aiyedun Davies, Mrs. Basirat Adeoye, Ms F. O. Bamgboye, Mrs. K. O. Oshisanya, Mrs. Kazeem Abioye, Mrs. Abiola Lasaki and Mrs. K. Adeshina all saw and conquered Ebola.

“They were the dedicated team of nurses, nursing aid, care giver, health assistant and hygienist who commenced work voluntarily in the Ebola containment ward without any demand other than the sense of duty.

“Yemi Gbadegesin and Abdulsalam saw and conquered Ebola.

“They coordinated the de-contamination, removal and burial of the index case and other cases, and it is because of them that First Consultant can re-open for business.

“Dear Lagosians, these were the people who saw and defeated Ebola. Let no person tell you otherwise.

“These men and women, who showed courage, who risked their lives are our true champions and heroes.

“They showed the spirit of service, the spirit of Lagos and the spirit of our 'good old days'. Nobody should take this credit away from them.

“They are not celebrating because they know that the work is not finished. They are already working with our people and planning to volunteer to go and give help in Sierra Leone and Liberia."

Fashola added that, “Their reward for hard work will be more work and they tell me that they are ready."