THE Senate yesterday advised both private and government schools to put in place precautionary measures to curtail the spread of Ebola as schools resume next week.
It also concurred that enough efforts had been made for resumption of schools.
The Senate equally urged the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and the African Union, AU, to create regional and continent-wide containment programme to avoid further spread of the EVD from one country to another.
These were part of the resolutions from the motion, titled “The Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria”, sponsored by Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and co-sponsored by 106 other senators.
But the Senate President, Senator David Mark, cautioned that precautionary measures should be put in place by both private and government schools as the students and pupils go back to school on Monday, despite the efforts of government in tackling the virus.
Senator Mark also commended the commitment and dedication of the Federal Government and, indeed, the entire country in uniting to frantically tackle the EVD, to ensure that the virus did not spread beyond control.
According to Mark, the dedication of Nigerians in the fight against Ebola “only goes to show that if we are determined and if we mean it, we can rise to any occasion in this country and it is a good lessons for all of us.
“Individually, people were dedicated, they put in their best and collectively we were able to work together to stem further spread of the epidemic. There are lessons that have come out and I hope that we have taken them on.
“Environmental sanitation is very important, personal hygiene is very crucial and communities must get together whether they are schools or colleges or universities or small communities and be able to organize themselves in such a way that with little assistance from government, they can avoid the spread the Ebola epidemic and indeed any other epidemic.”
On the call for the immortalization of Dr. Ameyo Adedevoh who paid the supreme price with her life by ensuring that the Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer, did not spread rapidly, Mark said the patriotism was worthwhile and should be rewarded.
He said: “I think we can’t thank Dr. Adadevoh enough because she went out of her way beyond any body’s expectation to control Patrick Sawyer who would have otherwise done havoc much more beyond our imagination and I think the nation will do well to honour her and indeed other workers in the health industry who sacrificed their personal lives just to make sure that most of us are alive.
“We certainly need to commend the Lagos State government because they have done a lot and the Federal Government who also did a lot to ensure that we don’t allow this to spread beyond what we have seen.
“I agree entirely with you that the way we carry on is as if everybody in this country now is infected with Ebola, we should give ourselves the kudos for doing well and not paint us black before the eyes of the world.
“There are debates going on whether schools should resume or not resume, the private schools and government schools also should make sure that they take precautionary measures before we get all our children back to school, But I think that we have done enough but with a little more efforts the schools should be allowed to resume and making sure that when they resume we don’t let down our guards.
“It is not over yet, but I believe that we have done enough to avoid any further spread of the Ebola virus disease.”
The senate had in a seven point resolution which included a one minute silence for the late Dr. Adadevoh and other health workers that had lost their lives as a result of the Ebola outbreak, Commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the leadership provided and the prompt response in tackling the spread of the Virus in Nigeria.
The senators also commend the Federal Ministry of Health, the Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, the government of Lagos and Rivers States and other State governments for the steps taken thus far and urged the Federal Government to immortalize the heroes and heroines, especially Dr. Adadevoh, who lost their lives in their service to their fatherland and humanity.
