The Federal Government has criticised 22 countries for stigmatizing Nigerians over the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak, which it said had been cared for, prompting the World Health Organisation to give the country a clean bill of health.
It said the continued stigmatizing of Nigerians was unacceptable and named the countries that had been discriminating against Nigerian nationals to include Bahrain; Côte d’Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Cuba, Gabon, China, Egypt and Hong Kong.
Others are Kuwait; Qatar; Sri Lanka; Turkey; Zambia; Mauritania; São Tomé & Principe; South Africa; United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Namibia, Seychelles and South Sudan.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Aminu Wali, who protested the incident, at a meeting with members of the Diplomatic Corps on Friday in Abuja, also cautioned Heads of Mission for making what he called inflammatory and reckless statements against the FG on matters of domestic policy.
According to him, such an act is “unacceptable interference in Nigeria’s domestic affairs, such envoys are advised to respect the sensitivity of Nigerians and the mood of the times.”
Wali said, “It is disappointing and troubling that in spite of the decisive measures taken by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the subsequent positive declaration by WHO, some countries have regrettably, chosen to flout the WHO rules on the (Ebola) virus by adopting deliberate policies of stigmatization and discrimination against Nigerians simply because we were unfortunately exposed to the virus.
“I will like to make it categorically clear that the continued discrimination and profiling of Nigeria is not acceptable to the government and people of Nigeria.”
The minister said it was intriguing that it took some time for the international community to acknowledge the valiant and effective measures taken by the government at all levels, to contain the spread of the Ebola virus.
Wali observed that the outbreak of epidemics like the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and the Avian Influenza, did not attract stigmatization against the affected countries.
Members of the Diplomatic Corps at the meeting, raised various issues of concern, ranging from the 2015 elections, to the Boko Haram insurgency, all of which the minister addressed, assuring them that the FG was working hard to contain the security challenge in the country.
He explained that the government was doing everything possible to ensure that the forthcoming election is transparent and credible, and called for the support of the international communities to make the electoral process, a success.
via nigerianeye
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