A diplomatic war is looming between the West African counties of Nigeria and Liberia over the exportation of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to Nigeria by the late Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer.

Nigeria has declared a medical emergency following the outbreak of the disease after it was brought into the country by Mr. Sawyer. So far, ten Nigerians have been confirmed to have contracted the disease.

Writing late yesterday from Liberia, a Nigerian journalist, Friday Olokor, hinted of an imminent diplomatic war between Nigeria and Liberia over the issue. He wrote on his Facebook wall:

“Welcome to Monrovia, capital of Liberia and ancestral Home of Mr. Patrick Sawyer, who came with a deadly mission to kill, infect and destroy Nigeria with the Ebola Virus Disease. I am here with a team of investigative journalists across the globe to dig deep into what may have prompted him to embark on such ambiguous adventure. Despite the apology of Liberian President, Her Excellency Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, my findings have revealed that there is a looming diplomatic face-off between Nigeria and Liberia.”

Instructively, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday publicly berated late Mr. Sawyer, describing him as a mad man.

Ventilating his anger at an inter-faith conference in the Nigerian capital Abuja, President Jonathan declared that by smuggling himself into the country, the late Sawyer, who was admitted in a Lagos hospital on July 24 and died the next day, has put Nigeria on the list of countries battling the Ebola virus.

“It is unfortunate that one mad man brought the Ebola to us; but we have to contain it,” Jonathan said at the forum organised by Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, to foster peaceful cooperation ahead of the 2015 elections.

“Sawyer that brought this Ebola to Nigeria also contracted it because his sister died of Ebola and he went for the burial and he participated in a way that he became a suspect. And the country asked him not to leave the country so that he will be observed but the crazy man decided to smuggled himself out and now we are suffering because of it,” President Jonathan added.

He described the forum, which had as theme, ‘The imperative of interfaith understanding and cooperation for responsible politics’, as a good opportunity to use to plead with the country’s religious leaders to clearly communicate the dangers of Ebola to their flock, as well as preventive measures.

Harping on one of the preventive measures, the Nigerian leader said: “I have been having discussions with people outside and within the country since this incident happened. My conversation with the Director General of the World Health Organisation, Mrs. Margaret Chan, was quite instructive.

“She said that the spread of Ebola from analysis so far, 60 per cent of spread is during burials. That’s why you will recall that in our announcement, we pleaded that we must be mindful of burials.

“We are pleading that our people who believe in some kind of ceremonies and so on, this is not the best period for those ceremonies.

“If somebody dies now that person should be buried where he died; when we get over this you can exhume the body if you want.

“Government will provide the medical examiner that will help you exhume the body for you to go and bury the way you want.”

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