Ebola: FG donates N560m to Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone

The Federal Government has donated $3.5 million (an equivalent of N560m) to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to combat the Ebola Virus Disease. Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu disclosed this to State House correspondents today after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. He said he had disclosed Nigeria’s donation to a high-level meeting on the Ebola […]

The Federal Government has donated $3.5 million (an equivalent of N560m) to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to combat the Ebola Virus Disease.

Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu disclosed this to State House correspondents today after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

He said he had disclosed Nigeria’s donation to a high-level meeting on the Ebola Virus Disease convened by the United Nations General Assembly in New York where he represented President Goodluck Jonathan.

The minister said each of the three countries got $500,000 of the donation while the balance went to the Common ECOWAS Fund for the Ebola Virus Disease.

He said the New York meeting was aimed at reviewing the global situation on Ebola Virus Disease and raising funds to halt the epidemic in “the three most affected countries”.

“I represented Mr. President at the high-level meeting on Ebola Virus Disease where so many world leaders participated including the US President and Chairperson of African Union, the President of the ECOWAS Commission and other world leaders. All participated with the UN Secretary General and the Director General of the World Health Organisation in attendance”, he said.

Chukwu also hinted that Jonathan would soon approve the deployment of 591 volunteers to help Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea combat the Ebola epidemic.

According to the minister, the volunteers will leave Nigeria as soon as the president approves their deployment.

He said he also informed the UN General Assembly that Jonathan had already approved the proposal by the Ministry of Health to train health personnel to be deployed to the three countries, in the area of special laboratory work in order to strengthen capacity there.

“I also informed them that as part of a Nigeria’s contributions to the international team that will be set up to tackle Ebola in those countries, already, Nigerian volunteers from different heath professions have been registering with us, willing to join the international force that will go to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to help out with the containment. And as of now, 591 Nigerians have already registered with us in three registers we opened in Lagos, Abuja Port Harcourt.

“Before we allow them to leave, certain conditions must be met. The president has to approve for them to leave Nigeria as volunteers. Secondly, they’ve to be given proper training on how they’d avoid the disease and ensure that they don’t get it. They’ve to be fully and properly trained according to our standards in Nigeria which is fairly high”, he said.