Controversy has been trailing the screening of the high profile participants including the alleged test of Nigerian delegation to the Africa summit taking place in Washington, United States for the dreaded Ebola virus.
The presidency however, claimed in a statement on Sunday that no member of President Goodluck Jonathan’s delegation for the Summit was screened for exposure to the dreaded virus on arrival.
Jonathan and some top government officials arrived the US on Sunday for the summit billed for Monday (today).
But Barack Obama, United States President on Friday stated that the US did not wish to take risks from the deadly Ebola virus and that some participants at an Africa summit taking place in Washington will be screened for exposure, the Reuters reports.
Obama said, “We are taking the appropriate precautions. 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”.
But controversy is now trailing Obama’s directive on participants coming to Washington for the US summit as the directive was said to have caused disquiet in certain quarters over the propriety of the screening of the high profile participants.
But the development has prompted The Presidency to deny media report alleging that those on President Goodluck Jonathan’s entourage were tested and screened for Ebola virus on arrival in the
Dr. Reuben Abati, special adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who refuted the said report in his twitter handle yesterday, described the report as the handiwork of mischief makers.
He said the advance team of the president, with lower cadre of officials including journalists, that travelled earlier were not even screened contrary to the media report in one of the national dailies.