The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Cross River State chapter and the National Association of Seadogs have suggested that the late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh be included on the 2014 National Honours’ list.

 

They said she sacrificed her life in combating the  Ebola Virus Disease.

 

NMA Chairman Dr. Callistus Enyuma said it was appalling that the Federal Government released the names of those on the National Honours list, which excluded a posthumous award for Adadevoh.

 

He said: “One would expect that she should not be neglected when honours are given. I believe it is not late for her to be included on the honours’ list.  She must have that honour.”

 

The President of Jokaina Deck of NAS, Mr. Fabian Avoh, said: “Let us ask the Federal Government or precisely the Presidency what yardstick was used in including all sorts of people on the list of the highest honour in the land when Adadevoh, who sacrificed her life, was not on the list.

 

“The Federal Government needs to understand that the lady would have walked away without treating that patient. Let the government give credit to whom it is due.”

The Zonal President of NAS, Area 5, Mr. George Anderson, said it was not late for the Federal Government to include Adadevoh’s name on the list.

 

Why Dr. Adadevoh was not included—Presidency By Abiodun Alade

The presidency has stated that it cannot bestow the National Honours Award  posthumously on Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, the Senior Consultant/Physician and Endocrinologist at First Consultant Hospital in Lagos, who many noted ‘sacrificed’ her life to curb the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) by restraining Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, who was the index case of the Ebola Virus Disease in the country to his bed.

 

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, last week, approved the award of National Honours to deserving individuals in various categories. The omission of Dr. Adadevoh drew criticism from commentators who argued that she should have been honoured posthumously.

 

DoyinResponding to the allegation, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe explained that the establishing laws of the National Honours make it impossible for the president to include her in the list. His tweet via his handle, @doyinokupe reads, ” I hv (have) rcvd (received) enquiries as 2(to) why dr adadevoh was not included in d (the) honors list. By law establishing it, nat.honors ( National Honours) cannot be given posthumously”.

 

In response to questioning by some of his followers, he hinted that the late doctor will receive a befitting honour and recognition in no distant time, stressing that there is no need to break the law in her favour. He tweets, “At d (the) appropiate (appropriate) time dr adadevoh will rcv (receive) a befitting honor”, the other reads, “no need to break d (the) law when we can still achieve same result without violation of our own law”.

 

The Nigerian National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and friends of Nigeria every year. They were instituted by the National Honors Act No. 5 of 1964, during the Nigerian First Republic, to honour Nigerians who have rendered service to the benefit of the nation.

 

The chief of staff, all the service chiefs including the acting inspector-general of police, eight governors, nine ministers and a host of other professionals, politicians, traditional rulers, a taxi driver, and the head of presidential stewards will receive the awards on Monday, September 29, 2014, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

 

Dr. Ameyo died on Tuesday, 19th August 2014 from the EVD contracted from Sawyer. She was the first grandchild of Mrs Sarah Idowu Abigail Adadevoh nee Macaulay, making her a great granddaughter of the late nationalist Herbert Macaulay described as the founder of Nigerian nationalism.

 

Her Father, Prof. Babatunde Kwaku Adadevoh, who was a grandson of the grand old man of Nigerian anti-colonial politics  was also a physician.