Three years after the unfortunate death of late Dr. Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, the member representing Epe Constituency II in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Olusegun Olulade, has called on the Federal Government to urgently immortalize the matriarch, who laid her life to save millions of Nigerians.
Olulade, who noted that Adadevoh’s death was a major loss to the medical community and the Nigeria’s health care system, advised Nigerians to imbibe the positive aspects of the character and life of the late doctor which according to him deserves the highest national honour for putting her life on the line in service to our fatherland.
Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh was certified dead on August 19, 2014, after she single-handedly stopped late Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American diplomat who brought the Ebola Virus into Nigeria, from escaping the hospital and further spreading the disease.
The lawmaker, who described the late Adadevoh as a compassionate, selfless and a disciplined person, expressed regret that, three years after her demise, the federal government had not thought it wise to immortalize her.
According to him, “the role this woman played during the outbreak of Ebola in Nigeria is still very fresh in our minds and it is regrettable that three years after her death, the federal government has refused to immortalize her in any way.
“We should not forget that she gave sterling example of due diligence and professionalism in a grave situation and thereby saved the lives of thousands of Nigerians. What a price to pay for one’s nation. Looking at her act of sacrifice and patriotism, I believe that there is hope for Nigeria.
“There is no doubt that our nation requires more holistic policies to really make things work in all sectors towards making life better for our people and the coming generations.
With a people-centred leadership and appropriate policies, our country has the potential to do much better for her citizens.
“We have been making this call since but I want to again call on the Federal Government to honour and bestow on all health workers and other volunteers who lost their lives in the course of caring for the Ebola patients posthumous honours.
Adadevoh was born on 27th October 1956 and first trained at the University of Lagos, College of Medicine; she further specialised in Endocrinology at the Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College in London.
Her two decades of service at First Consultants Medical Centre, Obalende established her medical expertise, notably being the first to diagnose swine flu and alerting the Ministry of Health in 2012; culminating in her identification of the index Ebola patient Patrick Sawyer upon his arrival in Lagos in July 2014.
