Ikeja – The Lagos State Government on
Monday said it had received the N200million
pledged by the Federal Government to
support the containment of the Ebola Virus
Disease in the state. Gov. Babatunde Fashola confirmed receipt of
the fund while receiving some Ebola
protective and relief items donated by MTN
Nigeria in Ikeja. The governor said the state government
received the money on Wednesday and
thanked the Federal Government for
fulfilling its pledge. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports
that President Goodluck Jonathan had
announced a pledge of N200million to the
state to support its efforts at containing the
spread of the virus. Jonathan said the N200million was not part
of the N1.9billion Ebola Intervention Fund
that would be released to Federal Ministry of
Health to contain the spread of the disease. “Yes we have received the money. We got the
N200million on Wednesday. It is definitely
going to help in our efforts to contain the
virus,’’ Fashola said. The governor said that the state government
was working closely with the Federal
Government and other partners to
effectively fight the disease. He noted that the Lagos index case was the
first urban case of the disease in history. Fashola said that the quick response of the
state government to the problem had saved
Nigeria what could been a pandemic. The governor said though the state was not
yet free of the disease, “the successful
treatment of eight hitherto patients means
that Nigeria is winning the war against the
virus.’’ He described the spread of the disease to
Rivers State as very unfortunate, saying that
the state government was sharing knowledge
and information with Rivers on its successful
containment. Commenting on the on the postponement of
schools resumption to Oct 15 by the Federal
Government, Fashola said, “though issues like
that are on the concurrent list, schools in the
state would comply with the directive.’’ The governor, however, said there was the
need for Federal Government to always carry
states along on issues that concerned them. Fashola, however, urged residents not to
panic about the Ebola Disease. He advised them to have the belief that the
disease would soon be defeated and take
precautions to be safe from it. “We are at a stage where, like I said before, we
do not need to panic. Ebola virus is not an
automatic death sentence. “A lot of knowledge is being gained on daily
basis, even at this moment, about the
behavior of the virus and that knowledge is
helping scientists to prepare even better to
respond. “Different types of virus have been identified
and we now have clarity about the length and
life span of the virus. “That body of knowledge helps in the
management of disease,” he said. Fashola thanked MTN for donating the items
to the state government. He said that the materials would help the state
government‘s efforts at containing the
spread of the disease. Earlier, Mr Paschal Dozie, Chairman MTN
Nigeria, who presented the items, said the
gesture was to support efforts at fighting the
disease
and promote public health. Dozie commended the state government for
the effective handling of the Ebola disease in
the state. “ We thank God that it started off in Lagos
because if it had started elsewhere, we would
have had a pandemic. “Why did I say so? Their reaction was
profound, dignified, their response
professionally systematic,’’ he said. Dozie said that his team had come to express
their appreciation and lend support. “We have already started supporting their
cause by providing call centres, that is, the
Ebola Hot line where we have doctors
responding
to enquiries and findings. “ Today we have come to provide support, a
fairly reasonable quantum of personal
protective items both for the care givers and
other health
workers. “We commend the state and we will stay by
you in this fight against the virus,” he said. NAN reports that the items donated by the
MTN include protective gear, drugs and
sanitisers. (NAN)
Source: http://.net