The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, has commended the federal and Rivers State governments for their dogged efforts that saw the eradication of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the state.
The commendation is coming even as the union has decried the three-month old strike embarked upon by primary healthcare workers in Rivers State, insisting that the consequences of the strike may be more dangerous than the EVD.
Chairman of NUJ in the state, Mr Opaka Dokubo, who spoke when he led executive members of the union to pay a courtesy visit to the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker in Port Harcourt, specifically thanked the state Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for providing the needed resources that helped to fight the disease to a stand-still.
Dokubo said, “We have come as a union to you to take our message to the Chief Executive Officer of the state, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, that as journalists, who have watched this event, we have come to thank His Excellency and the good people of Rivers State for the dogged way you fought Ebola to a stand-still. It is very easy to criticize and continue to criticize. Today, we feel pleased and very happy, and we know that this is how the people of Rivers State feel.
”We are very pleased and happy the way you went about this fight against Ebola and conquered it. We can only say thank you. We wish to commend you on this effort and without reservations, say you have done well. We also acknowledge the effort of the Federal Government as well, and indeed, we say the Federal Government did very well in this fight against Ebola.
“As you always said, we cannot relax because of this achievement; so, we urge you to do more. How the Ebola came to Rivers State is unfortunate, but all that is history now. The reality of the fact is that Ebola was here and you fought it,” Dokubo said.
He regretted that the regular immunization of new born babies has not been carried out government-owned primary health centres in the state in the last three months due to the strike embarked upon by primary health workers, and called on the 23 local government councils in the state, who are responsible for the welfare of the primary health workers to wake up to their responsibilities before it is too late.
The NUJ chairman said, “The issue of public health emergency is very much present with us. In fact, it is something that we fear we have no alternative but to raise alarm. Since July, primary health workers have been on strike. What this has translated to is that from July to September, immunization has not taken place in Rivers State, and that means that we are seating on a keg of gun powder.
“The challenge presented by this lack of immunization is more dangerous than Ebola. So, we want to call on His Excellency to get the LG chairmen to look into the issue. I am aware this is the responsibility of the local government councils; I want to call on the council chairmen to look into it. This issue must be settled and settled fast. They must sit with the health workers; settle the issues that have to be settled and get them back to work with immediate effect. We cannot afford to have another crisis in our hands,” Dokubo added.
Responding, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker regretted that the campaign set up by the state government to achieve 100% in immunization is almost collapsing due to the action of the primary health workers.
Parker, however, thanked the NUJ for coming out to commend the state government shortly after the eradication of EVD in the state, but said Nigeria cannot claim to be free from the outbreak of the dreaded disease until Liberia and Sierra Leone become free.
He said, “I must really thank you for coming out soon after this battle to commend the government of Rivers State, the governor of Rivers State and the Ministry of Health that put this together. NUJ should be accepting commendations too because your members went with us wherever we went to. I am happy that you came. I am happy that the people of Rivers State got out of this danger that came to us.
“A lot of time, we are quick to condemn and criticize, and we let go the commendations. I believe that this government would have done better if my Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, had gotten all the commendations that are due him. We assure you that we will continue to be at alert. Until Ebola is clear in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the outbreak is not over in Nigeria. What we have done is that we have come back to our pre-preparation stage,” Parker added.