This was Makus claim before Ebola arrives and i quote. Ebola: Maku lied over vaccine availability in Nigeria By Segun Adebowale / August 16, 2014 / Maku had on April 2, 2014, almost four months before Sawyer came into Nigeria, after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, told Nigerians that the country was prepared for any exigency in case the virus creeps into Nigeria The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has come under scathing criticism for telling a lie to Nigerians on the availability of medicines and vaccines for the fast killing Ebola Virus Disease, months before Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, brought it into Nigeria. Maku had on April 2, 2014, almost four months before Sawyer came into Nigeria, after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, told Nigerians that the country was prepared for any exigency in case the virus creeps into Nigeria. The FEC had discussed the issue that day based on the fear, that eventually came to pass, that the Ebola Virus Disease, though not in the country then, could be contracted by Nigerians from fellow Africans visiting the country. Maku, along side the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, at the usually briefing of State House correspondents after the meeting on April 2, 2014, said: “Nigeria is ready because the Ministry (Ministry of Health) has taken every precaution, including getting the vaccines and medicines in case there was any incident in Nigeria. “So far, there is nothing like Ebola fever in Nigeria and Council was reassured that every step has been taken to ready our country just in case infected persons come into the country from our neighbouring countries.” However, by the time Sawyer brought the EVD into Nigeria from Liberia on July 20 and eventually died on July 25, there was neither the medicine nor vaccine to curtail the ailment. In fact, none had been developed worldwide. It was only two weeks ago that an American company developed ZMapps, which is still in its experimental stage and not yet ready for mass production or usage, when two American became infected in Liberia. And just two days ago also, Onyebuchi also announced that another drug, Nino Silva, has been developed by a Nigerian contagious disease expert, Dr. Simon Agwale. Owing to this, a major critic of the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration, Peregrino Brimah, of Every Nigerian Do Something, on Friday said Maku’s statement on the availability of a cure drug for the EVD must have encouraged Sawyer to slip into Nigeria to find a solution to his ailment. Brimah said in an article: “Decontee Sawyer, the widow of Patrick Sawyer – the Liberian who brought Ebola to Nigeria on July 20th this year – explained that her husband came to Nigeria with his Ebola infection because he believed he will get better healthcare and a cure for his ailment in Nigeria. “A quick google search for “Ebola vaccine” at the time Patrick got infected will tell you why anyone with Ebola would have booked the next flight to Nigeria: our minister of information, Labaran Maku had on April 2nd, two months earlier publicized that Nigeria was ready for Ebola and the Ministry had procured vaccines for Ebola. Of course, Nigeria could and should have vaccines for Ebola. We can afford to have sponsored local and even chartered foreign research companies and paid them to develop these vaccines for Africa 10 years ago, had it been we had our heads on right and thought about people over private jets.” In the article, titled: Like Maku, are all Jonathan’s ministers evil?, which is available elsewhere on this news website, Brimah said further: “Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan described Patrick Sawyer’s coming to Nigeria when he knew he had Ebola as “mad” and “crazy.” Those are the exact two words that describe the misinformation of Maku. People are now asking him: “Where are your vaccines?” Is it “salt bathe?” Is Labaran Maku behind the dangerous spreading of the idea that salt bathes are a vaccine for Ebola? He can be. “Maku’s announcement that Nigeria was prepared and had vaccines for Ebola are apart from being senseless, mad, crazy, criminal and treacherous, frankly evil.” Brimah said all of Jonathan’s appointees are no better than Maku. So far, four people, including Sawyer, have died of the ailment in Nigeria. The other three are one doctor and two nurses who were a part of the team that treated Sawyer at the First Consultant Hospital, Obalende, Lagos. Ten other persons, according to Onyebuchi, have been confirmed to be down with the ailment. Another 169 are either under close observation or quarantined as they have come in close contact with an infected person. Maku’s claim that Nigeria had the medicines and vaccines to tackle the EVD, especially on the social media, has begun generating several comments, with it likely to dominate discussions in the next few days.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 19:39:21 +0000