The Evil That Men Do.............. #Sawyer #Ebola

 So by now a good number of Lagosians are aware that Ebola has arrived, in all of its dreadful glory, into Lagos. Sadly, quite a large number are still blissfully unaware of this epidemic and would most likely put the rest of the cautious ones in trouble. Sigh.

Patrick eleribu Sawyer

How did we get here? Well, no thanks to Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who presumably intentionally brought his Ebola virus into a country of over 160 million people. Despite being warned not to travel, Sawyer did and from the reports I read, while he avoided contact with his fellow Liberians at the airport and on the plane, he ensured his body fluids touched as many as he could before he died. He not only lied to the Nigerian medical personnel who tried to help his ailing self, he allegedly went a step further by flying into a rage and URINATING all over the health workers thus forcing them to flee. Sadly, the harm had been done. A couple of them have tested positive to the Ebola virus while a number of them have been quarantined. Reports show that Sawyer denied having the virus or coming in contact with anyone who had when in reality, his sister had just died from it and he had been in physical contact with her against professional advise.


Why did we get here? In my opinion, we are here due to the selfish and nefarious actions of Patrick Sawyer AND the irresponsible government of both Liberia and Nigeria. I cannot imagine what must have led Sawyer to target Nigeria this way. Yes, they say he had an event to attend and he insisted on attending but is there a more sinister reason for this level of delusion and hate? Yes, I said delusion and hate because that is what must have spurred him to lie about his status and then go ahead to deliberately infect others. Why did the Liberian government not keep a better watch on their exit points? Why did the airport officials, who despite seeing how sickly Sawyer was at the airport to the extent of lying down on the bare floor at some point before boarding, not stop him and check him up? After-all, they were fully aware of the epidemic going round their country and the symptoms. Or were they not informed? Why were Nigerians not properly informed about this virus before it came into our country? Why were people not sensitized enough to notice it and take the right and necessary actions? Could it have been contained at the airport if people have been taught to recognize the symptoms and look out for passengers?

Where do we go from here? Well, the die is cast. The virus has landed. The striking doctors have allegedly called off their strike and will hopefully bring all hands on deck to help eradicate this deadly virus. I hope the Federal government authorities and the governors will take adequate actions on this issue. This Ebola virus is not here to blame or trade blames about who gave it life or who brought it into Nigeria. I hope they will, with immediate effect, create isolation chambers and the right equipments to aid those quarantined and those caring for them. I hope national campaigns will start running to sensitize EVERY NIGERIAN on Ebola virus matters. I hope you and I will also help spread the information on preventing infections and what to do when one contracts this Ebola virus with everyone we come across.