Ebola: Jonathan Pleads with Teachers to Shelve Strike over Schools’ Resumption Date

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday  pleaded with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and other unions to shelve the planned industrial action over the September 22 resumption date for private and public schools across the country.

Though the president said there was no new case of Ebola virus victim in the country, it was not a guarantee that it could not occur.

The president’s plea came as the NUT again yesterday kicked against the September 22 resumption for primary and secondary schools, saying the government is yet to put the necessary measures  in place to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.

The body then directed all its members nationwide to stay away from schools until they are convinced “beyond reasonable doubt” that the government has provided all preventive and protective gadgets such as infra-red thermometers, sanitisers, running water, gloves and that the  teachers are adequately trained.

But Jonathan who spoke with State House correspondents on the lingering issue of schools' resumption date, said: “That is not to say we may not record Ebola again. As long the virus is still in the West coast, it is there in Guinea in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The likelihood that a character like the late Patrick Sawyer can come in one way or the other is also open. But government is also very mindful of that. Presently, our airports are properly protected if Sawyer were to arrive Nigeria now, no Nigerian would have contracted Ebola because of the level of preparation,” he said.

Jonathan called on the unions to commend the government on its efforts to curtail the spread of the disease.

According to the president, NUT worked with government on Ebola virus issue, adding that “they are Nigerians, all Nigerians must work together to make sure that they contain the virus. Why do we want to create problems while it is not necessary, it is uncalled for?

“First I want to use this opportunity to thank all Nigerians in terms of managing the Ebola virus. This is one thing that the whole country came together, worked together for, there was no issue of politics, there was no issue of religion, there was no issue of ethnicity. In fact that was why we were able to contain it. If Nigerians did not agree, we wouldn’t have succeeded.

“I use this opportunity to thank all the governors because I met with all them and all the state commissioners for health and all the states  set up machinery to manage the Ebola virus if at all it turned up. I have to specifically appreciate the governors of Lagos and Rivers State, who had incidents of the virus and how they worked with the federal government to manage the situation.

“Presently, there is no case of Ebola virus in Nigeria, nobody in Nigeria has  the virus now. All the people with the symptoms of Ebola have recovered, out of 19, we lost seven and the others have recovered, yes they are few people we are observing.

“You see, one thing people don’t know and that is why all these labour unions like NUT, if you are in Nigerian today and you travel to some countries they don’t even want you to enter there. Our athletes were segregated in China they had to returned to the country.
"A place like China asked Ministers of the Federal Republic to show proof of Ebola-free certificate, very discouraging. And what people don’t know is that as long as you close your institutions because of Ebola, the ambassadors that are here with us and the high commissioners send what you call dispatches to their home states about what is happening in our country monthly.

“As long as we Nigerians close all our public institutions because of Ebola, the dispatches that will go to the whole world is that Ebola is a problem in Nigeria. And as long as we declare that Ebola is a problem in Nigeria, any Nigerian that travels out will be treated as someone that has Ebola.

“I dare say is NUT saying that until the world is able to end Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone before Nigeria should open our institutions? It is not right. Government is not a fool. It is not any labour body that asked us to take that decision, we took it because we felt that we must protect our citizens.
“This is one government that discusses with anybody that has issues to discuss. Even NUT has no reason to threaten industrial action because of Ebola, the governors took that decision. I called all the governors of the states to come with their commissioners of health. On the day of that meeting, I did not even allow them to speak because they will play politics.

“I asked all the commissioners including the Secretary of Health in Abuja, to brief us on the steps they have taken and they listened to their colleagues because it was also a peer review process. If you are hiding certain things by the time you hear your colleagues you will go back and get things done.”

“I will plead with NUT and other unions that this does not require industrial action. They should commend government, they should worked with us, they are Nigerians, all Nigerians must work together to make sure that they contain Ebola. Why do we want to create problems while it is not necessary, it is uncalled for,” he said.

Addressing journalists at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, the National President of the NUT, Dr. Michael Alogba Olukoya, said only a few states had trained any teachers on the EVD.
“Asking teachers to resume without equipping the schools is like asking them to go with bare hands into the Sambisa forest,” Olukoya said.

He said that the NUT had written a letter to the Minister of Education asking to be fully involved in all the discussions on the EVD and to be allowed to assist in mobilising teachers for the task.

The union, he said, is yet to be invited for any talks, even though the letter was acknowledged.

“Between now and midnight of Sunday, if you (state chapters) are convinced that your government has purchased and installed all the necessary gadgets, then you should inform the national body. On no account should any chapter deceive the national body,” Olukoya warned.

He noted that apart from postponing the resumption date of primary and secondary schools to October 13, other practical steps need to be taken to shield schools from any Ebola incursion.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) yesterday disclosed that it had trained over 5,000 school teachers in various capacity to prevent the outbreak of the Ebola virus in schools.

It said the training was aimed at addressing the growing fears of parents over the decision by the federal government that the new date of  September 22 remains as the resumption date for schools across the country.

According to UNICEF, “As the school year is set to start later this month, teachers in Nigeria are getting valuable lessons on how knowledge about the Ebola virus can help save lives, contain the disease and avoid stigmatisation.”

The training which took place in Port Harcourt, had more than 5,000 teachers gathered on Monday to receive training from the Ebola Emergency Operation Centre (EEOC) teams who explained  the best strategies to combat the dreaded disease.

EEOC Incident Manager, Faisal Shuaib, stated: “With schools set to reopen this month, it is crucial that teachers understand how this disease is spread and how to protect oneself, so that they can pass on the message to their pupils.”

She explained that “while the number of cases – 19 confirmed – is far lower than in Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea, the government has made it clear it will not let its guard down until the outbreak has been defeated.

“Educating the public about Ebola is a key element in the strategy to contain the disease,” Shuaib observed.

She stressed that “UNICEF is supporting a major social mobilisation effort, with teams engaging the community at market places, bus stops, churches, in their homes, and at meetings with religious, traditional and other leaders.

“Knowing how Ebola is transmitted and how to protect oneself not only plays a key role in efforts to contain the disease, but is also essential in fighting stigmatisation of Ebola survivors, their families and those they had contact with.

“The Ebola virus can only be transmitted by an infected person who shows symptoms of the disease. It is not an automatic death sentence - chances of survival increase significantly if the person receives clinical care at an early stage.  In Nigeria, 12 of the 19 confirmed Ebola cases have recovered and are now free of the disease.”