Liberia is one of the four West African countries experiencing
outbreak of Ebola virus along with Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Guinea.
It was gathered that due to the emergency health situation in the country, the Liberian president missed the United States-African Leaders’ Summit held in Washington D.C last week.
Th news that Sirleaf would not be attending the Summit came as the Nigerian federal government on Tuesday, 12 August, 2014, assured Nigerians that it would step up the screening of inbound passengers at all the international airports in the country and also work with airlines to check outbound passengers to stop the spread of Ebola virus.
Thisday reports that the Liberian president was one of the two presidents invited, the other being President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, to grace the high-level opening ceremony of the summit along with President Goodluck Jonathan.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
It was gathered that due to the emergency health situation in the country, the Liberian president missed the United States-African Leaders’ Summit held in Washington D.C last week.
Th news that Sirleaf would not be attending the Summit came as the Nigerian federal government on Tuesday, 12 August, 2014, assured Nigerians that it would step up the screening of inbound passengers at all the international airports in the country and also work with airlines to check outbound passengers to stop the spread of Ebola virus.
Thisday reports that the Liberian president was one of the two presidents invited, the other being President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, to grace the high-level opening ceremony of the summit along with President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President Jonathan on MDGs
(SSAP-MDGs), Mrs. Precious Gbeneol, disclosed the absence of President
Sirleaf during a press briefing on the presidential summit coming up
next week.
“Apart from the president, we also have President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia who will not make it due to the Ebola virus issue in her (Sirleaf Johnson) country.
“Concerning the virus, we are collaborating very well with the Federal Ministry of Health, which is on top of the situation. In addition, we want to advise Nigerians to take care of themselves, their sanitation and avoid dealing with bush meat,” she urged.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, while addressing journalists at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) yesterday to review the medical procedures put in place to curb the spread of the dreaded disease to other parts of the country.
Chidoka added that the fight against the virus should not be politicised by any group or persons, adding that government was proactive and highly committed to ensuring that Ebola spread was curtailed and the airports protected from the virus.
No fewer than three persons have died from the Ebola virus in Nigeria since Liberian businessman Patrick Sawyer became the first victim of the deadly disease to die in the country in July.
According to the Nigerian Ministry of Health, 10 other persons are being treated in the country for cases of Ebola virus, while hundreds of other people are also being monitored for traces of the disease.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born 29 October 1938) is the 24th and current President of Liberia. She served as Minister of Finance under President William Tolbert from 1979 until the 1980 coup d’état, after which she left Liberia and held senior positions at various financial institutions.
She placed second in the 1997 presidential election won by Charles Taylor. She won the 2005 presidential election and took office on 16 January 2006, and she was a successful candidate for re-election in 2011. Sirleaf is the first elected female head of state in Africa.
“Apart from the president, we also have President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia who will not make it due to the Ebola virus issue in her (Sirleaf Johnson) country.
“Concerning the virus, we are collaborating very well with the Federal Ministry of Health, which is on top of the situation. In addition, we want to advise Nigerians to take care of themselves, their sanitation and avoid dealing with bush meat,” she urged.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, while addressing journalists at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) yesterday to review the medical procedures put in place to curb the spread of the dreaded disease to other parts of the country.
Chidoka added that the fight against the virus should not be politicised by any group or persons, adding that government was proactive and highly committed to ensuring that Ebola spread was curtailed and the airports protected from the virus.
No fewer than three persons have died from the Ebola virus in Nigeria since Liberian businessman Patrick Sawyer became the first victim of the deadly disease to die in the country in July.
According to the Nigerian Ministry of Health, 10 other persons are being treated in the country for cases of Ebola virus, while hundreds of other people are also being monitored for traces of the disease.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born 29 October 1938) is the 24th and current President of Liberia. She served as Minister of Finance under President William Tolbert from 1979 until the 1980 coup d’état, after which she left Liberia and held senior positions at various financial institutions.
She placed second in the 1997 presidential election won by Charles Taylor. She won the 2005 presidential election and took office on 16 January 2006, and she was a successful candidate for re-election in 2011. Sirleaf is the first elected female head of state in Africa.
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