Posted on: Fri 18-08-2017

It is another 19^th day of August, and today makes it three years that Dr Stella Adadevoh died of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease. The haemorrhagic fever ravaged the West African region, including Nigeria like a plague in 2014, taking many lives but the narratives of this country was positively different courtesy of this guarding angel. Her singular role of selflessness and patriotism was the major factor among others that brought Ebola to a halt in Nigeria. Stella Adadevoh had heroism, leadership and patriosm flowing in her blood.  She was a great granddaughter of Sir Herbert Macaulay; the founding father of Nigerian nationalism, a prominent politician who co-founded the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) together with Nnamdi Azikiwe as the first political party in Nigeria. Babatunde Kwaku Adadevoh who was her father was an internationally recognized physician and advisor to World Health Organisation and United Nations among other international bodies. He later became the Vice Chancellor of the prestigious University of Lagos. Nature bestowed patriotism and leadership on her soul and she did not disappoint destiny when it came calling on that fateful Monday of 21^st July when she saw Patrick Sawyer during her ward round at the First Consultants Medical Centre, Obalende, Lagos. Sawyer, a Liberian-American was the index case of Ebola in Nigeria, he was to attend a meeting of the Ecoonomic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) in Nigeria at the time and came into the country the previous day.

In 2012, she was the first healthcare worker in Nigeria to confirm and raise awareness on the arrival of H1N1 strain of the Swine Flu Virus which was already killing people all over the world then, including the so called developed climes. No wonder she was able to diagnose Ebola; using her high index of suspicion, even though she had never seen a case of it before. She saved over 170million people from this deadly infectious disease of public health importance. We need not imagine what the experience would have been if Ebola was not stopped at the port of entry into the country. The bitter taste of such experience on the lips of West African countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and DR Congo are still there. These countries actually passed through hell but Stella Adadevoh saved Nigeria from it. She gave her life to stop this agent of death called Ebola in Nigeria!

Ironically, three years after her demise she has not received any national award posthumously from the Nigerian government. It is baffling, saddening and worrisome. Nigeria is a country where there are many people in the post of leadership but very few are in possession of true leadership qualities. We are bereaved of patriotism as a people and the more reason the government should honour her for such rare fit of virtually laying down her life. More annoying is the fact that Lagos State government could not find her worthy of making the list of heroes and heroines of Lagos@50. The paltry the State government could allegedly do for her was the acclaimed sponsoring of a street painting of her on a wall opposite the entrance gate of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). It took the personal effort of Deji Ayowole, who used his graphic skills to insert her picture into the banner of the event before this could be done. In his own words Deji said, “If the Lagos State government won’t do it for her, I will. She is the reason why Lagos can celebrate 50 years in good health. She deserves to be acknowledged for her heroic endeavours. Lagos would have been swamped with the Ebola disease and it could have been uncontrollable, but thanks to her, it was contained. God bless you. May your soul rest in peace. This was photoshopped, wish it were real.”

The Government of Nigeria may not have honoured her but the solace is in the fact that millions of Nigerian masses recognized, appreciated and remember Stella Adadevoh always for standing in the gap at that critical time when the survival of their life depended on her. It is not too late for her to be honoured by both the National and the Lagos State Government. A research centre for emerging infectious diseases could be established in her name to immortalize her. The present Federal Government of change should look in the right direction to put her among the list of worthy Nigerians to be honoured this year. With reference to the National Honors Act No. 5 of 1964 and Nigerian National Merit Award Act No. 53 of 1979, Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh deserves either of these categories of national award for her patriotism.

The Nigerian citizens remember Stella Adadevoh this 19^th day of August, 2017 and every day, as it clocks 3years of her passage into immortality. We pray that her soul will continue to have eternal rest. Also, we pray that the government will recognize the need to honor her sacrifice for her country.

Rest on our heroine.

DELE ATIBA
08063264061 
[email protected], [email protected]
for STELLA ADADEVOH SUPPORT GROUP
facebook page : STELLA ADADEVOH SUPPORT GROUP - SASG

@stellaadadevoh.sg

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