Jonathan's delegation to the United States for the African/American
Leaders Summit was screened for exposure to the dreaded Ebola virus on
arrival at Washington DC.
Jonathan and some top government officials arrived the US on Sunday
for the summit billed for Monday (today).
Some members of the President's advanced team had arrived the US on
Friday and Saturday.
President Barack Obama was quoted on Friday as saying that some
African participants attending the summit would be screened for
exposure to the dreaded virus which is currently ravaging some West
African countries.
Obama explained that the action would be taken to protect the US from
the outbreak of the disease.
He said, "Folks who are from these countries that have even a marginal
risk, or an infinitesimal risk of having been exposed in some fashion,
we're making sure we're doing screening."
A Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, had died in a Lagos hospital of the dreaded virus.
All those who had contacts with the deceased whose remains had since
been cremated were being observed by the Federal Government.
Although no other case of the virus has so far been established in
Nigeria, Obama's statement fuelled speculations that Jonathan and
members of his entourage might be subjected to screening before they
could be allowed into the country.
But shortly after arriving the US, Special Adviser to the President on
Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, disclosed on hisTwitterhandle
that no member of the President's entourage was screened.
"Nobody took any Ebola test, please," the presidential spokesman wrote
in a response to a question raised by one Okunola Bukky.
Abati had earliertwittedsome of the photographs of the President taken
on his arrival at the airport while being received by top US and
Nigerian government officials.
Based on the photographs, Bukky asked Abati, "please, confirm to us if
the entourage took Ebola test..."
Independent investigation conducted by our correspondent also showed
that none of the members of the President's advance team who arrived
in the US on Friday and Saturday was screened of the virus.
"Why will we be screened? How? By who? There is nothing like that. At
least, nobody screened me," a member of the President's advance team
who arrived in the US on Saturday told our correspondent on Sunday.
Two African leaders had already said that they would not attend the
meeting because of the outbreak of the Ebola disease in their
countries.
The leaders are the presidents of Liberia and Sierra Leone, Mrs. Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf and Ernest BaiKoroma, respectively.
Punch.
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