Posted on: Thu 30-10-2014

I am a Catholic. .. Now before flip past this page for what you may disdainfully consider as another religious ranting. Hold your fire.

In the Catholic Church, it is common to have what we call prayer Intentions - Success, Thanksgiving, God's guidance and protection, for the sick and for the dead... Sometimes like in the case of my Parish, the litany of prayer intentions can go on for 10 to 15 minutes.

So on this day, I was a bit surprised even angry, when I heard Patrick Sawyer's name among the Prayer for the dead and judging by the meaning "this fanatic people' look my daughter gave me and the peals of surprised laughter from some teenagers in the Church, I knew I was not alone in my discomfort. How can I pray for a man who brought death to my country, who deliberately caused the death of a seasoned Doctor and extremely dedicated Nurses, who put the name of a clinic known to a lot people of my age group as a good hospital?

A man who has cost me the perennial embarrassment of explaining to countless colleagues outside Nigeria that we don't have Ebola in Nigeria, it was brought in by one man, just one man... and the persons unfortunate to have had contact with him. A man who caused a neigbouring country to close their door to us and Bangladesh, can you imagine Bangladesh deporting Nigerians?

Overnight we became a pariah nation, thanks to Patrick Sawyer. Rubbing my sanitizer countless number of times, I almost got sucked into the conspiracy theory. Who is afraid of Nigeria, I asked, who wants to do us in.? Is it because we just rebased our GDP and have suddenly become the Strongest economy in Africa?

Two months after this frustration, and near paranoia, I have come to thank Sawyer (Almost). For the first time, or one of those few occasions, we threw off the garb of political squabbling and individual bad belle and attacked a common problem with one voice and sheer determination. We saw Fashola (that fine statesman) on the front pages of the national newspapers with the extremely good- looking survivors to reduce the fear and stigma around survivors.

Two months after, with the first death of an Ebola victim in the US (THEY DROPPED THE BALL?) , the Ebola Konga drums reverberate across the globe especially in the developed world- demonstrations in Spain, new control measures for persons coming in from the Ebola endemic countries- with Nigeria clearly excluded. For once, I heard the international media acknowledge the success of Nigeria in tackling this challenge.

Nigeria Medics are volunteering to assist in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Nigeria, playing big brother as usual has sent in funds to support our brothers in these countries. As we have passed the countdown to get WHO certify us Ebola free, we must not let down our guards. Every immigration officer, every Ports Health Officer, Nurse, Doctor, indeed every Nigeria must be alert at their duty posts to ensure that what we have achieved is not compromised by negligence, inertia or greed. Media must continue to alert the public to maintain great sanitary habits. Schools, Churches, Mosques still remain potential hotspots and should be the platforms to educate children and people to be alert on the issues about the Ebola.

More importantly, we must build on the unity that has come with this success. It must never be compromised or forgotten. We must build on the strength of our determination, on the sacrifices of our fallen heroes in this Ebola Saga. Nigeria to be that very great nation in Africa must build her own version of the Ubuntu Spirit. No nation divided against itself can stand.

About the writer:
Margaret Olele is Head Cooperate Communications of Pfizer North and East Africa Region (NEAR).

Source: The Guardian

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