Ebola: FG insists on Sept 22 schools’ resumption date

The Federal Government has said there is no scientific basis for postponing schools’ resumption date in the face of the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria. Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said this in Abuja today while fielding questions from State House journalists. The government had, after an emergency meeting with state commissioners for health […]

The Federal Government has said there is no scientific basis for postponing schools’ resumption date in the face of the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria.

Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said this in Abuja today while fielding questions from State House journalists.

The government had, after an emergency meeting with state commissioners for health last week, directed primary and secondary schools in the country to resume September 22.

The Nigerian Medical Association had Monday faulted the directive, saying all schools ought to remain shut until all those under surveillance for the virus had been certified free.

In the same vein, the House of Representatives had on Tuesday vowed to review the government’s directive.

But Chukwu told journalists today that with experts’ information, the government’s decision on the issue could not be revoked.

He said: “There is no scientific basis for school resumption to be postponed. There is no community transmission of the disease in Nigeria. That is what separates Nigeria from other countries. It is what I call irrational fear, we don’t need to be irrational about this”.

He asked those objecting to the school resumption date to allow the authorities to do their job, saying “it’s not an ordinary matter to be discussed the way we want to discuss it. If you’ve any evidence for a review, supply such evidence to the Ministry of Health. We’ll look at it because you may have a real reason, but it’s not something people just wake up and begin to make comments”.

He urged concerted efforts of all Nigerians towards containing the epidemic, saying they should be rational in their actions rather than cause panic. “Panic is not welcome in this business. Otherwise, we’d be in trouble”.

The minister said precautionary measures were in place, warning however that Nigerians must be extremely careful and sober in lieu of the epidemic of the Ebola disease.

“We’re very serious, we should be sober about this situation in Nigeria; we must be extremely careful. We’ve allowed a football match to go on and we screened every fan and player in Calabar, even the state governor and his wife were screened. We’re dead serious. We’re not perfect, but we’re trying to encourage everybody in Nigeria to collaborate.

“We don’t need to close the world, we don’t need to say nobody should go to work in Nigeria. There is absolutely no reason for that. Unlike other countries, there is no community transmission of the disease in Nigeria; not one yet. But we’ve taken precautions. We may as well have said everybody should just be moving about, but we’re taking precautions”, he said.