Eminent Nigerians on Friday described the late Dr. Stella Adadevoh as a hero, model, pacesetter and a Nigerian worthy of emulation.
Adadevoh, a doctor at the First Consultant, who attended to the late Patrick Sawyer, the index Ebola case patient in Nigeria, died on August 19.
A former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, who spoke on the sideline at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos after a requiem mass for Adadevoh, applauded her effort and urged Nigerians to emulate her virtues.
Ekwueme said: “She gave her life for Nigeria because if she had not insisted, the late Sawyer would have infected many Nigerians in Calabar and other places he was planning to go.
“And we should all be very grateful to her and pray that God may receive her soul and grant her eternal rest.”
Also the General Overseer of House on the Rock, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, urged the Federal Government to use this opportunity to strengthen the healthcare system.
Adefarasin said: “She was truly the epitome of the Christian in a country where not every doctor practices the Hippocratic Oath.
“She sacrificed her life for the health and safety of our country.
“And I certainly stand alongside all those who believe that she must get a post humous honour and award at a very significant level from the Federal Government and every other institution that understands the importance of what she did.
“Her life also serves as an important note that we must deeply strengthen our health care systems.”
Also the Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said that everyone has a role to play in curtailing the virus and should be on red alert.
Chukwu said: “The danger is still on.”
He also urged the media to be sensitive in the reportage of the virus and urged them not to cause unnecessary panic.
“From the testimonies of our classmates and from what I have learnt, she was certainly the true meaning of being a doctor,” he said.
The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Adewale Martins, said that the late Adadevoh loved her country so much that she laid down her life.
Martins said that the late Adadevoh knew the importance of oath taking and she followed it until her death.
He said: “The late doctor is a model, a pace setter, woman of honour and integrity.
“I think she loved her country because it is only love that can make you do things that you should rather not do.”