THE Ebola virus disease came into this country and displayed its deadli-ness; thanks  in part to so many coincidences, the virus is being successfully contained – the first hospital of call of the first Ebola victim; the professionalism of the first doctor who attended to him,  late  Dr. Stella Adadevoh and the state of first visit, that is Lagos state.

If Mr. Patrick Sawyer had arrived in any other state, the consequences would have been very grave for Nigeria. Lagos state is very far above other states in terms of sophistication in the medical field.

Apart from the two University Teaching Hospitals of repute, we have, scattered around the state specialist private hospitals of various types, with latest equipments in the medical fields  that are comparable to those in  developed countries.

It is one of such hospitals  that Mr. Sawyer, the first Ebola patient visited. But if the truth be told, these hospitals  are out of the reach of the average Nigerian. Those who have the means  and care to find out, don’t have access to such ‘state of the art hospitals in Lagos.

The federal government and all agencies involved in tackling  the Ébola scourge must be commended. They really delivered in the dissemination of information and sensitization of the people. In fact, commendations have started coming from the international communities.

According to the Leadership online of 7th september 2014, “The US Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs, Amb. Linda Thomas Greenfield, commended the Minister and his staff and the government of Nigeria on how effectively they have been working to deal with the Ebola outbreak here in Nigeria. They are taking all the right steps to control this. And, they are having great success here.”

She even appealed to our Minister to assist neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone, as they grapple with the terrible outbreak.If the Liberian and Sierra Leone authorities had taken similar measures, we would have been spared the Ebola nightmare  in Nigeria.

The only negative aspect of the whole issue was the decision of doctors union to continue their  strike in the midst of such deadly scourge. The way the Ebola virus is contacted reminds one  of the plague that afflicted ancient  Egypt, as recorded in the Old Testament in the Bible. Ebola is more deadly than even Boko Haram. Boko Haram threats  pales  into insignificance when compared with the Ebola virus  threat.

We would have been singing “uhuru” but for the crazy decision of the Port Harcourt doctor, Sam Enemuo, to secretly handle an Ebola patient without notifying the authorities. It is baffling to see a well trained and qualified medical practitioner take up a case of such deadly magnitude, so lightly.

For now, no one knows the level of devastations this one act of stupidity will cause the nation.  According to reports; they have over four hundred people quarantined in Rivers state. That is why the issue of the holiday extension given to schools, as a result of the Ebola virus disease, must be studied and analyzed very critically.

Maybe, when you read  this article, the holiday extension given would have been called off. Again, it is a reflection of our inability to think things properly, or/and, when we are able to think, we find it difficult to properly  execute. The only thing that interests everybody is the pecuniary gains that come out of it.

It is rumoured that there are pressure groups- especially from the private schools sector- doing all they can to make the federal government rescind on its decision to extend the holidays.

I do not know what impact that one month holiday will have on the schools calendar that the ASUU strikes and others have not done more. Waiting for, just one month, will not have such an adverse effect on the system. The Ebola virus is deadly; it took just one man to bring it into the country and within a week or two, people have died as a result of contact with him and the whole country is in a state of panic.

Why are we so impatient? And, why would the authorities succumb to such pressures?

The biggest excuse  given presently is the decision of the government to allow the Transformation Agenda (TAN) of Goodluck Jonathan rallies to hold in cities across the country, in the midst of the Ebola crisis. Well, that decision, on its own, is an indictment on the authorities and very self serving and hypocritical. Why granted permissions  for such huge gatherings in different cities across the country, in the midst of a devastating scourge, that takes just a minimal contact to set off. It is a big gamble to take because of politics and must be discouraged by all.

But  be  that as  it may, two wrongs do not make a  right. The decision to call schools back to session because, some people are having rallies does not make sense to me. The rallies are attended mostly by adults and grown up youths, while the schools are populated by children, some of whom have not mastered basic hygiene techniques and therefore, more prone to contact the virus.

That is why the authorities must not be stampeded. We must bear for this one  month, it is just one month and the school proprietors will still  collect their school fees. Lecture schedules and examination time table can be rescheduled; everything depends on the degree of commitment of the teachers and their ability to carry the children along.

I repeat, we must not take this Ebola threat for granted or allow any self centred interest to distort our focus. It is not every state that has the capacity to handle it, the way the Lagos state government did. We must wait for the safety flag to be hoisted, before the schools resume.

It is not too much of a demand on everybody, only a few extra feeding and maintenance expenses for parents. The private school proprietors will still collect their fees in full, without any discount. Indeed, some of them have increased their school fees, such is the system in Nigeria.

The Minister for health and his education counterparts must note that without life, no other thing  counts. You have to be alive to go to school and engage in other life activities.

Let’s all be wise in this instance.

Sunny Ikhioya, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.