President Goodluck Jonathan has appealed to members of the international community to stop discriminatory checks and stigmatisation of Nigerians travelling abroad, now that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has certified the country Ebola-free.
The president made the appeal on Monday while speaking with the Foreign Ministers of Germany and France who paid a visit to him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Jonathan seized the occasion to restate the government’s displeasure at the stigmatisation of Nigerians by some countries after the Ebola virus entered Nigeria in July through a Liberian traveller, Patrick Sawyer.
He maintained that there is no longer any justifiable basis for stigmatising Nigerians since Ebola was rapidly contained in the country and never attained epidemic levels.
He assured the French Foreign Minister, Mr. Laurent Fabius and his German counterpart, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier that Nigeria will remain fully vigilant to prevent the re-entry of the virus, because the government recognises that the country will remain at risk as long as Ebola is active in other West African countries or any other part of the world.
Jonathan further promised the ministers that Nigeria will cooperate fully with other concerned nations to stop the current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa as quickly as possible.
Responding, the ministers told the Jonathan that they were in Nigeria to seek further cooperation with the Federal Government in the growing global effort to contain the current outbreak and spread of the Ebola Virus Disease.
They lauded Nigeria’s successful containment of the virus and expressed the desire of their countries and the entire European Union community to collaborate further with Nigeria in providing adequate support to other West African countries that are still being ravaged by the virus.
