From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, shun panic, and stop spreading misinformation following the detection of an imported case of Ebola, assuring that the Federal Government is taking steps to prevent its spread.
Pate specifically appealed to citizens to rely on verified public health information from trusted sources rather than circulate false rumours capable of creating unnecessary fear.
The minister spoke after a meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosing that the government was collaborating with Uganda to manage the situation.
“All I can tell you is that we are collaborating with our sister African nation of Uganda. What is important is that we have found this one case. We are doing contact tracing, and we are putting containment measures to ensure that it doesn’t go into our population,” he said.
Emphasising the need for calm and responsible public communication, Pate said Nigerians must take the situation seriously without allowing fear to take over.
“Nigerians should be reassured. We must be vigilant, but not panic, and people should respect public health information from trusted sources, and not spread misinformation and false rumours,” he said.
The minister said the country had the public health institutions and expertise required to respond to the situation, citing Nigeria’s experience in managing previous health emergencies.
He disclosed that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had activated its incident management system, with response teams working round the clock and the relevant task force actively coordinating containment efforts.
“They are working 24/7, and the task force is also active. So we have things in place that give us confidence that Nigeria can weather through this public health crisis,” Pate said.
He assured Nigerians that the government would continue to monitor developments and provide updates as verified information became available.
According to him, additional measures would be taken if the situation changes.
“If the situation changes, we’ll come out and inform Nigerians,” he said.
Pate reiterated that the immediate priority was to contain the imported case and prevent its spread within the population, urging citizens to remain alert, follow credible public health guidance and avoid fuelling unnecessary anxiety through unverified information.