As part of efforts to prevent spread of the deadly Ebola virus disease into the country, a federal government and Lagos State health delegation yesterday visited the General Overseer of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Prophet Temitope Joshua, to explore ways of averting the spread of the epidemic in the country.
In the meeting with the cleric, the delegation led by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, offered to work with the health team of the church in the areas of technical assistance, medical advice and training to ensure that no victim of the deadly disease came to the church from any of the affected countries undetected.
Idris said the delegation decided to pay the visit to the church because of the recognition that the church is an International Christian Centre whose congregation comprise people from all over the world, including the countries of the West African sub-region where the Ebola disease is presently ravaging the populations.
He said the visit is one government’s strategy of sensitizing faith-based organizations on the need to cooperate with the government to prevent the spread of the disease in the country, by educating their adherents to report health issues to medical experts.
The commissioner explained that the federal and the Lagos State government are working hard on how to prevent a spread of the vi rus into the country
Idris said the delegation felt that because the church had some people from the West African sub-region as members and because of the influx and population of the congregation there might be need to check and also raise the awareness level on the disease in the church.
He said, “We have our strategies that we intend to share with you. Again we need to know the resources you have here because whether it is one or two cases, if they are allowed to get out, it is a major problem. We are here to work together on how to contain this disease.”
Also speaking, the director, Centre for Disease Control, Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi, said that the visit was to inform the Synagogue leader of the deadliness of the Ebola virus and to ensure that it does not escape into the country.
He added that it had become such a big problem in the sub-region that it was already affecting the economies of the countries involved.
Nasidi, an epidemiologist and virologist, described the visit as a ‘positive engagement mission’. “We are here to engage you positively. We know the powers of this House and your powers and we are duty-bound to protect you and your congregation,” he said.
He particularly singled out the countries of the West African sub-Region –Liberia, Sierra-Leone and Guinea – as the greatest worry of the Government at the moment because they are the countries that have already been affected by the deadly disease.
In his response, Prophet Temitope Joshua promised to work with the government to ensure that the disease did not spread into the country.
The cleric revered for his healing powers said he would put some measures in place to ensure that people from the already affected countries do not enter Nigeria.
One of such measures, he said, is to visit any of the countries when necessary rather than allow their residents come into Nigeria.
He also promised to suspend some of his major Church healing programmes for a few weeks adding, “I am ready to work with you. I love my country and I will be ready to work with you. Even if it is a rumour, there is need to secure our environment to ensure that it is safe”.
Source: Leadership
