Ebola: NUT Proposes New Resumption Date

The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Rivers State chapter has called on the Federal Government to shift the resumption of schools from the proposed 22nd of September to 13th of October.

The Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the NUT, Godfrey Nwogu made the appeal at a media conference in Port Harcourt.

Nwogu said the appeal for the extension was to give more time to the Federal and state governments to provide amenities to protect the lives of students and teachers against Ebola virus.

“The NUT is of the opinion to delay the resumption of schools to the 13th of October, 2014; by then, the scourge would have been off than to rush into opening schools only to be faced with the attacks of the EVD in the state.

“But when the Federal government insists on opening the schools on the 22nd of September, the union will rather direct its teachers to stay at home”, he said.

The Rivers State Chairman of the NUT also commended the Rivers State government and Federal government for effectively managing the spread of the Ebola virus.

Meanwhile, the Rivers state government says it has received information of the N200m Ebola intervention fund from the Federal government meant to support the Rivers State government.

The State Commissioner for Health, Sampson Parker made this known while briefing Journalists on the update of the Ebola Virus disease in the state.

Parker also said the Rivers state government will consider the opening of schools when the number of contact persons had been reduced drastically.

In the same vein, Commissioners of Health of Abia, Imo, Anambra, Cross River, Akwa-Ibom and Benue states commended the Rivers state Government for effectively managing the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease, EVD.

The Commissioners made the commendation on their solidarity visit to Rivers state.

Speaking on behalf of the visiting Commissioners, Akwa-Ibom state Commissioner for Health, Emem Bassey told newsmen at the isolation centre in Emuohua that their aim was to see the facilities that had been put in place by the Rivers state government to stop the spread of the EVD.