As the 2015 general elections approaches, stakeholders particularly the Federal and state governments have been urged to eschew political sentiments in dealing with the Ebola disease.
The statement was made by Awwal Musa Rafsanjani co-convener Say No Campaign-Nigeria at a press conference in Abuja.
Rafsanjani said while commanding the effort put into the response by all stakeholders, which has enabled the country to more or less contain the outbreak; ?we are worried and concerned about the alarmist nature of the response, which we are convinced exaggerated the scale and scope of the risk, and which led to the spread of panic across the country, and the mushrooming of rumours about phantom cures, with often very fatal and near fatal consequences across Nigeria.
?We are particularly concerned that this somewhat alarmist and deliberate overstating of the crisis, was part of the calculations of politicians and political leaders to ensure mobilization of resources and funds internally and externally into a pool, that like the response to the 2012 Flood disaster can be disappeared into the private pockets, looted and converted into election war chests.
We note for example that a fund was established and designated for the response; but without any clarity as to whether this was appropriated for, and where the funds will be drawn from. Furthermore, to buttress the point about the setting up of the fund as a conduit for corruption, controversy continues to trail the disbursement or otherwise of the said fund?
According to him, the Ebola pandemic must not be politicized. ?We urge the Federal government to collaborate with state governments in fighting this scourge in the best interest of the Nigerian people. We also urge Nigerians to collaborate with the government by ensuring all suspected high risk contacts present themselves for treatment and quarantine. We urge all stakeholders to conscientiously observe the preventive measures suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The group also urged ECOWAS to without further delay appoint a Special Envoy on Ebola that will facilitate regional coordination and response to the pandemic.
