As Ebola rages on

The incidence of Ebola in Nigeria caused by an itinerant Patrick Sawyer—an American-Liberia on a visit to attend a conference who had collapsed at the airport in Lagos and was found to be sick with the disease, elicited prompt and effective response which, thankfully, quickly restored normalcy. For some time now no known case has […]

The incidence of Ebola in Nigeria caused by an itinerant Patrick Sawyer—an American-Liberia on a visit to attend a conference who had collapsed at the airport in Lagos and was found to be sick with the disease, elicited prompt and effective response which, thankfully, quickly restored normalcy. For some time now no known case has been reported in Nigeria. Indeed Nigeria has been receiving accolades for the way it effectively dealt with the disease and snuffed it out. And so, for a country that seldom attracts positive publicity, Nigeria has become some sort of a beautiful bride complimented by the whole world for the way it promptly and summarily halted the spread of Ebola and consequently wiped it out. Or so it is claimed!
As Ebola has begun to show its face in places like the United States, where one-Thomas Eric Duncan who brought it from Liberia has died and the nurse that treated him, despite wearing protective gear has come down with the disease; Spain where a Reverend Father died of the disease having contracted it while in Liberia, fear has gripped the whole world that Ebola was about to become another pandemic, respecting no national boundaries. This has caused the whole world to re-examine their responses to the disease, which they had treated, at best as West Africa’s and Africa’s problem. The need to recognise it as a global health issue has dawned on many countries and has necessitated replacing the earlier lukewarm and “it is their headache let them solve it” attitude  to give way to a more healthy and collaborative one.
The new impetus even received a United Nations’ fillip when in September the Security Council declared Ebola in West Africa as “a threat to international peace and security “urging UN member States to provide more resources to fight the outbreak. Following the collapse of health facilities and structures, particularly in Liberia which found itself overwhelmed by the number of people hospitalised and unable to provide bed space for them, the US led in the quest to restore some semblance of health care delivery process there. It raised a corps of medical and para-medical professionals to put in place makeshift hospitals and made available funds to the tune of 300million dollar to back it up.
Other countries and organisations have since followed suit. The humanitarian aid organisation- Medicins sans frontiers (Doctors without borders) should be singled out for mention, it has been at the forefront in building several treatment centres manned by altruistic health workers. The UK has sent a hospital ship to dock at a Sierra Leone harbour to augment whatever is going on on land in form of treatment. China, Australia, France have all chipped in their widows mite toward battling down the disease. The efforts of these countries and many others are being highlighted to draw attention to the unpardonable and utter lack of responsiveness of countries in Africa—particularly  Nigeria, other Economic Community of West African countries (ECOWAS) not yet affected by Ebola and South Africa, to a disease whose eradication should have been the concern of one and all.
Nigeria long held as the natural leader on the sub-region and praised in the past for discharging the role admirably through contributing men and resources to pacify worn torn Liberia and Sierra Leone, has failed woefully in showing leadership on the critical issue of Ebola in West Africa. Ironically, when Ebola showed its face in Nigeria, the urgency brought to bear on rolling out strategic and logistical know-how that enabled Nigeria to surmount the crisis has been unparalleled and worthy of praise. The expectation therefore was that this expertise that made it to effectively combat the spread of Ebola in Nigeria should have been made available and put in place in the other Ebola countries. Sure, Nigeria is basking in the accolades of other countries for effectively halting the spread of Ebola in Nigeria, but with the disease virulently spreading and scattering death and despair in neighbouring countries how long can it continue to remain Ebola free? A pertinent question to ask if we recall that Patrick Sawyer, the harbinger of the disease came from one of these countries, and as his wife has underscored he came to Nigeria because he assumed it has a better health care delivery system than Liberia.
Perhaps if the authorities in Nigeria had helped these countries to establish similar health structures that enabled it to surmount its Ebola crisis, the tragedy of the daily harvest of deaths in the affected countries would not have been on the scale we are witnessing. What’s more, doing so would have amounted to ensuring Nigeria continues to remain Ebola free and an endeavour in Nigeria’s interest.
ECOWAS –the regional body has continued to be a big letdown. Ever since its establishment it has neither achieved its aim of integration nor added value to the well-being of the peoples of the community. Most member countries have continued to resent participation of people of other countries in certain sectors of their economy.
Ghana is always harassing Nigerian traders, threatening them with another Aliens’ compliance order- an edict that expelled Nigerians during the rule of Busia. On the Ebola crisis, the body has failed the sub-region woefully. It had no joint scientific structure and programmes on the ground that could enable it mount a credible response, in whatever guise, to a scourge no one can claim did not give enough notice of its imminence. Ebola had been in Congo, Uganda and in many other parts of Africa for many years, enough to warn and prod the sub-region to take measures to ward it off. The flaw of the ECOWAS is the same for the Africa Union (AU).
Similarly, South Africa with its advanced medical science—the first ever successful heart operation was done in South Africa– and research institutions should share in the blame. It still continues to operate as it did during the apartheid era when it existed in isolation, not concerned with grave matters elsewhere on the continent, even as it lays claim to leadership of the continent. South African authorities should be told that leadership comes with responsibilities, as such it should begin to concern itself with crises not only when they crop up close to it, but also far afield on the African continent. South Africa’s seeming nonchalance in the face of the raging Ebola in countries where its business men might be doing mouth watering business; is simply unconscionable and downright selfish. Its attitude of Ebola is a West African burden should be discarded for a better one that empathises with the pain of those suffering and lends a helping hand. Africa should join hands to solve its problem rather than continuing to remain the Whiteman’s burden.