It's common
knowledge that some Nigerians are being stigmatized in some countries,
over Ebola .Some have been denied entry into some countries over the
disease ..Reacting to this development in a statement issued by Special
Adviser on Media & Publicity to the President,Reuben Abati
"President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said Monday in Abuja that he expects
and hopes that Nigerians will no longer suffer discriminatory checks and
stigmatization abroad now that the World Health Organisation has
certified that the country is Ebola-free.
Speaking at an audience with the Foreign Ministers of Germany and France
who called on him at the Presidential Villa, President Jonathan
restated the Federal Government’s displeasure over the stigmatization of
Nigerians by some countries after the Ebola virus entered Nigeria in
July through a Liberian traveller.
He maintained that there was never any justifiable basis for the
stigmatization of Nigerians since Ebola was rapidly contained in the
country and never attained epidemic levels.
He told the
French Foreign Minister, Mr. Laurent Fabius and the German Foreign
Minister, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier that Nigeria will remain fully
vigilant to prevent the re-entry of the virus because the Federal
Government recognizes that the country will remain at risk as long as
Ebola is active other West African countries or any other part of the
world.
Nigeria, President Jonathan assured the visiting Ministers, will
therefore cooperate fully with other concerned nations to stop the
current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa as quickly as possible.
The Ministers told the President that they were in Nigeria to seek
further cooperation with the Federal Government in the growing global
effort to contain the current outbreak and continuing spread of the
Ebola Virus Disease.
They praised Nigeria’s successful containment of the virus and expressed
the desire of France, Germany and the European Union to collaborate
more with Nigeria in helping other West African countries where the
virus still remains active.
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