A chartered airplane carrying Nigerian volunteers working to help contain Ebola in Liberia and Sierra Leone landed in Abuja on Sunday morning after being delayed for nearly nine hours in Freetown, Sierra Leone over documentation reasons.

The Ethiopian Airlines flight was scheduled to arrive Abuja by 7:30pm on Saturday but was not airborne three hours later in the Sierra Leonean Freetown.

It touched down at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 2:38am Sunday, bearing the 250 volunteers who deployed to help combat Ebola in the West Africa sub region since December 3 2014.

It also carried a commemorative plate from Liberian government, bearing the inscription “The Love of Liberty”—a message of gratitude from the Liberian people.

Shouts of jubilation filled the air as the first few volunteers descended the flight steps onto the tarmac, and they hugged liberally.

Security briefing ahead of the contingents' arrival was already done and provision made to sweep them through arrival and screening, before they were shuttled to a hotel in Central Abuja ahead of their welcome by President Goodluck Jonathan later on Sunday.

The volunteers did not contact any infection at all, officials on the delegation said.

They had spent between 26 to 42 days under inspection as their stint ended, before their journey back to Nigeria, but would still be put under scrutiny.

“By the regulation they have all gone beyond the period [required for monitoring] but we shall apply the same scrutiny to give Nigerians the assurance that nobody is bringing in Ebola again,” said Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo.

“These are the most educated, experienced, exposed individuals in terms of knowledge of Ebola and how to fight it.”

Olawale Mayegun, who convened the contingent before their deployment to join other AU volunteers in Ebola-stricken countries last December, said the volunteers followed protocol required for dealing with Ebola.

“We thank them for following our protocol. No contamination,” said Mayegun.

“They are an asset for Nigeria and an asset for Africa. Let us treat them as heroes and heroines. Nigeria is proud of them.”

Permanent secretary of the ministry of health, Linus Awute, spoke of “success that a disease that came in to threaten the sub region has been suppressed.”

“We were able to do this through the collective undertaking of the entire pop of Nigeria. While you were there everybody prayed and wished you well,” he added.

“Everybody is looking on Africa today, that Africa solidarity initiative is working,” said a volunteer.

“The first step to dealing with Ebola is to deal with fear. So we overcame fear and we triumphed.”

Liberia was declared free of Ebola last week by the World Health Organisation. No new cases have been reported in Sierra Leone lately, officials said, though the last suspected cases are still under observation for 42 days before they are declared free.

folabayo1:
God punish jonathan
He came in wit fuel subsidy and he's leaving us wit scarcity.

Sometimes you wonder if GOD really created some people

kilokeys:
enough of the show off..

we save the world but not ourselves..

height of foooo*coughs*oolishness

i think its time we garner all our resources, put aside petty tribalism and get to work on our soil.

folabayo1:
God punish jonathan He came in wit fuel subsidy and he's leaving us wit scarcity.

folabayo1:
God punish jonathan
He came in wit fuel subsidy and he's leaving us wit scarcity.

folabayo1:
God punish jonathan
He came in wit fuel subsidy and he's leaving us wit scarcity.

Sijo01:


Shatap! don't be vulgar. Act like a lady.