A scheduled trip to Nigeria by a group of American health experts has been cancelled at the late hour due to the climate of insecurity in Nigeria, especially the Boko Haram menace.

The experts from the Institute of Medicine, Washington, DC, would have been in Abuja and Lagos on June 27 and 28 but the trip was called off at the last minute.

A memo sent to the delegates by Kenisha Peters on behalf of the Board on Global Health, Institute of Medicine, said:

“Dear colleagues,

“I am writing to thank you all for your support of the U.S. Institute of Medicine project on understanding the global public health implications of substandard, falsified, and counterfeit drugs. It has been humbling to learn how important this topic is to so many Nigerians. It was my and my colleague’s pleasure to plan a trip to Abuja and Lagos on June 27th and 28th. Our friends at both the Nigerian Academy of Science and at the Catholic Medical Association of Nigeria have worked tirelessly helping us with logistics for this visit. I have also enjoyed my correspondence with all of you over the past month. You have been extremely accommodating and helpful.

“Unfortunately, due to the heightened level of security warnings issued by the U.S. State Department, the Institute of Medicine leadership is obliged to withdraw their support for this trip. I regret to inform you of this decision, and hope you will understand why we are not allowed to make this trip.”

Photo Caption
National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.)