The First Consultant Hospital in Obalende, Lagos, where Patrick Sawyer died, has reportedly been cleared for re-opening

The Federal Government has approved the re-opening of the First Consultant Medical Centre in Obalende, where late Dr. Stella Adadevoh worked and Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer died.
The hospital was shut after Sawyer arrived Nigeria with Ebola and was treated there. He also died in the hospital on July 25.
The FG has reportedly issued a Certification of Decontamination to the hospital and given them permission to re-open for business.
The hospital is said to have received a letter each from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, and has now gotten the all clear after undergoing three rounds of a state-certified decontamination process.
The Lagos state government reportedly issued a statement saying:

 “The Ministry is in receipt of a letter dated August 29, 2014, from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Ebola Emergency Centre, Lagos, informing that your facility has had three rounds of state-certified decontamination process.
“The Ministry acknowledges the role your facility played in alerting the State Government of the index case of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and appreciates your altruistic gestures in containing and managing this deadly virus, thus preventing an epidemic.
“We also commiserate with you on your members of staff who died in the line of duty.
“First Consultants has now been cleared to reopen for business. We hope that with this reopening, your facility will continue to maintain its high quality of standards”,

The Nigerian government is said to be making plans to ban the consumption and sale of ‘pomo’

 According to reports, the Federal Government might be making plans to ban the sale and consumption of hides and skins, commonly known as “pomo”.
Vanguard reports that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina called for a stronger check on the consumption and sale of the product.
Adesina reportedly made this known at the 3rd joint anniversary of the Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASAN) and Nigeria Institute of Animal Science held at the University of Ibadan.
He said that this would enable farmers make a bigger profit because they would able to turn the hides and skins into leather.
Adesina said:

I am confident that the satisfactory production levels achieved in the poultry and swine segments will soon stretch to reach other commodities such as beef, dairy, micro livestock and animal by products such as leather, bones, hides and skins.
The drive to turn Agriculture into business and not merely a way of life is now in full gear, with the use of mobile phones and e- wallet for input distribution directly to farmers, farmer’s registration with biometric identity cards and the Growth Enhancement Support scheme.

Northern babalawos have added their voices to the fight against Boko Haram by giving the FG an ultimatum to arrest and prosecute those indicted as sponsors of the insurgents.

Just like the Witches and Wizards Association of Nigeria gave the Boko Haram elements in the country an ultimatum to free the kidnapped Chibok girls or face their wraths, (we are still waiting to see the outcome of the ultimatum that had since expired), the Northern wing of traditional medicine practitioners, aka babalawos, have told the Federal Government to arrest and prosecute former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff and former Chief of Army Statf, Gen. Azubike Ihejirika, who have been fingered as the sponsors of the dreaded Islamic sect, within 40 days, or it would be forced to sue the men for allegedly financing terrorism.
The herbalists who claim they have what it takes to arrest the kingpin of the Boko Haram insurgents, Abubakar Shekau ,but only waiting for the green light from the FG, also said that if the FG refuses to arrest those indicted, they will resort to a special prayers for God's wrath to fall on Sheriff, Ihejirika and others.

If the Federal Government refuses to do this, our members shall resort to special prayers for 21 days for God’s wrath to befall Sheriff, Ihejirika, their fellow collaborators and Boko Haram members.

Stressing that many of their members have been killed by the insurgents who have also taken over the Sambisa Forest where they get their roots and herbs, the also said:
Babalawos are Nigerians and deserve the same recognition accorded Imams and Pastors by government.

Many churches and mosques have received compensation from state governments for the destruction of their places of worship but not a single Babalawo has received a condolence message or any form of monetary compensation since the Boko Haram problem started three years ago.

The Nigerian Medical Association has faulted the government’s instruction for all schools to resume September 22

Nigerian Doctors, under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), have reportedly expressed displeasure at the new resumption date for primary and secondary schools announced by the Federal Government.

The government has said that students can now resume on September 22 as against October 12 after schools were shut indefinitely over the outbreak of Ebola in the country.

However, the NMA through its National Secretary-General, Dr. Olawunmi Alayaki,  has said that the schools are supposed to remain closed until there’s no case of Ebola (suspected or confirmed) left in the country.

The organization said:

 “We are not happy with this decision on the resumption of schools. Schools should be shut till the last suspected case or patient is certified free of the virus,” the NMA said.

 “ We can shift the resumption date till next year or in the next three months if that is the time it will take. Government should have enough time to follow the standard procedure for containing   the virus.

“Parents have no reason to be   in a hurry because if Ebola should enter any school, it will assume another dimension. Children cannot survive isolation like adults.

“Nigeria is peculiar because of her large population and we should be pragmatic and proactive. It   will not augur well for the country if we have another outbreak due to carelessness.”

Chairman of the Maiduguri chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Malam Abdulwasiu Alfa, on Monday urged the Federal Government to adopt some of its strategies against the Ebola Virus Disease in fighting Boko Haram, adding the tactics would go a long way in ending insurgency in the country.

``We commend the Federal Government for gallantly curbing the spread of the Ebola virus.

``We urge the government to do so toward ending the Boko Haram reign of terror in the country,’’ Alfa said.

Alfa said that if government had adopted the same strategy in fighting the insurgency the problem would have been solved long ago.

``If the government will fight the insurgency the way it fought the dreaded Ebola virus, the Boko Haram sect will have been crushed long ago,’’ he said.

Alfa also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Commission for Refugees (NCR) to be more proactive toward assisting thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno.

``Government agencies charged with providing succor to the IDPs like NEMA and NCR should be more visible in areas which has the highest number of IDPs,’’ Alfa said.

He also called on the Federal Government to issue a white paper on the Gaji Galtimari Committee of Inquiry into the Boko Haram crisis in the state.

#Nigeria #Ebola #BokoHaram