WEST AFRICA : Nigeria President Slams Ebola Stigmatisation of Nigerians "

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Wednesday in
Abuja condemned the stigmatization of Nigerians
by some countries over recent cases of the Ebola
Virus Disease in the country.
Speaking at a meeting with Mr. David Navarro, a
Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-
General, President Jonathan particularly
denounced discriminatory actions such as that
which forced Nigeria's team to the Youth
Olympics in China to abandon its participation.
Noting that there was no justification for such
stigmatization of Nigerians since the Ebola Virus
Disease had been effectively contained in the
country and never attained epidemic levels, the
President called for the cessation of
discriminatory actions against Nigerians over the
virus and urged the UN Secretary General, Mr.
Ban Ki Moon to support the call.
Responding to the Secretary General's
commendation of Nigeria's management of the
threat of Ebola, President Jonathan praised the
Federal Ministry of Health, the Lagos State
Government and all Nigerians for the success
achieved so far in containing the virus and
avoiding a national epidemic.
"All hands have been on deck to contain the virus
here. I commend my team and the Lagos State
Government. We have been able to set politics
aside and work in unison to deal with a national
threat.
"All other Nigerians have played a part too by
complying with the directives and advice we have
issued to stop the virus from spreading any
further. The success we have had is a testimony
to what we can achieve as people if we set aside
our differences and work together," he told Mr.
Navarro.
The President assured the Special Envoy that in
spite of the seeming success of its containment
measures, the Federal Government and its
agencies will remain vigilant to guard against
further cases of Ebola in the country.
"We will continue to monitor the situation and we
will also support other affected African countries
as much as we can because we cannot be
completely safe from the virus as long as it
continues to ravage some countries in our sub-
region and continent. We will continue to work
with the international community to curb the
outbreak in other countries," President Jonathan
pledged.
Mr. Navarro who had visited Liberia, Guinea and
Sierra Leone, the countries worst hit by Ebola
before coming to Nigeria, told the President that
he had come, on the instruction of the UN
Secretary-General, to applaud Nigeria's
successful containment of the virus.
"The Secretary-General asked me to come here
too, not because you have an Ebola problem, but
because you have tackled it in an exemplary
fashion.
"Your personal leadership on the matter has been
key. There may still be some work to be done
before the virus is completely cleared out from
here, but other countries can learn from your fine
example," Mr. Navarro told the President!!!