Alert up on influx of Nigerian students as potential Ebola carriers Posted by: Dennis on Aug 04, 2014 Maritime leaders have expressed alarm on the continued influx of Nigerian nationals taking up maritime courses in the country amid the Ebola threat. United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) president Nelson Ramirez said a thorough monitoring should be in place on the entry of Nigerian students to check against infection or if any one of them is a potential carrier of the deadly virus. Ramirez said a sizeable number of Nigerian students have entered the country in the past weeks and while those who arrived earlier are enrolled in maritime schools located in Ilocos, Pangasinan, Cebu and Metro Manila. He said maritime schools should also be held accountable in accepting Nigerian students without proper medical examination and subsequent clearance. “The schools do not care about the potential Ebola contamination as long as the cash registers continue its ringing,” Ramirez said. He added the business of enrolling Nigerians have become so lucrative that some maritime school owners have visited Nigeria to put up their own schools there. The UFS president nevertheless clarified that their concern is not a “racist” attack but only a clarion call in the service of national welfare and safety. Ramirez, however, admitted that aside from being possible Ebola virus carriers, the country has nothing to gain from the Nigerians since they would end competing with the Filipino seafarers in looking for employment after graduation. The resurgence of the deadly Ebola virus have claimed lives in Nigeria and other neighboring African states, including American health workers. - See more at: unitedfilipinoseafarers.ph/alert-up-on-influx-of-nigerian-studes-as-potential-ebola-carriers/#sthash.4W3PRMyy.dpuf
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 03:33:05 +0000