The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, on Friday
protested the continued discrimination and profiling of
Nigerians by some countries over the outbreak of the Ebola
disease in West Africa.
At an interactive session with members of the diplomatic
corps, Mr. Wali named 22 countries that had targeted and
discriminated against Nigerians, since the index case of
Ebola in Nigeria.
He said it was regrettable that discrimination against
Nigerians persisted, in spite of the World Health
Organisation, WHO, declaration that Nigeria was Ebola-
free.
He said it was regrettable that some countries had chosen
to flout WHO rules and protocols on preventing the spread
of the virus, through deliberate policies of stigmatisation
and discrimination.
He said the foreign ministry has received unpleasant
reports that Nigerians have been targeted and
discriminated in Bahrain, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea
and Cameroon.
Other countries discriminating against Nigerians are Cuba,
Gabon, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka,
Turkey and Zambia.
Also in the list are Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe,
South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Namibia,
Seychelles and South Sudan.
The minister expressed dismay that even top government
officials on working visits abroad had suffered
discriminatory practices by the countries.
He noted that it was “intriguing’’ that it took time for the
international community to acknowledge the valiant and
effective measures taken by Nigeria to contain the spread
of the deadly virus.
“It is therefore, my hope that this briefing will assist in
expunging any negative notion about the Ebola Virus in
Nigeria,’’ he said.
Mr. Wali called on the international community to increase
assistance to the countries afflicted with the deadly virus.
He pledged that Nigeria would continue to assist
neighbouring countries and share its experience on the
successful control of the virus with the rest of the world.
A Nigerian, Suleiman Mohammed, who is the Honorary
Consul to Mongolia, recounted how he was detained for six
hours in Seoul after alighting from his flight.
He said he was detained for several hours by the
immigration authorities in South Korea alongside with
Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea, Amb. Desmond
Akawor.
Mr. Mohammed said the incident happened on September
9.
He added that he was subjected to the same treatment
when he was transiting through South Korea even after he
had shown no symptoms of the virus.
In his remarks, the High Commissioner of Trinidad and
Tobago partly blamed the discrimination against travellers
from West Africa on the international media and
ignorance.
“From Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, there is
mass hysteria and ignorance on this issue (Ebola).
“The international media is constantly reporting that there
is Ebola in West Africa and some people think West Africa
is a country and not a region and in the Caribbean that
understanding is not clear.’’
He cited an incident where union workers at a port in
Trinidad and Tobago refused to board an oil-tanker that
berthed in his country from Gabon.
He said there was hysteria that the vessel that arrived from
West Africa may have been exposed to Ebola.
Meanwhile, South Sudan has refused entry to Nigerian
Foreign Service officers deployed to the country because of
Ebola.
In his contribution, the South Sudan Ambassador to
Nigeria, Parmena Mangar Riak, claimed that after the WHO
certification on Oct. 20, some Nigerians received their visas
to travel to the country last week.
Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Cameroon Ambassador to
Nigeria, Salaheddine Abbas-Ibrahima, claimed that many
countries had lifted restrictions on travel from people from
Nigeria after the WHO certification.
He assured the minister that “in a matter of days” there
would be total lifting of the ban on restrictions of travel by
Nigerians by the remaining countries.
The ambassador who did not name the countries that had
relaxed the ban said that Cameroon would take advantage
of the Ebola information centre, established by the Federal
government.
He said the centre would serve as a source of information
for countries to plan their national response to the deadly
virus.