Ebola: a Plague or an American Decimating Factor in Nigeria?

Late Patrick Sawyer, a Bioterrorist?

Following discoveries and revelations, that the late Patrick Sawyer possibly knew he had Ebola Virus before flying into Nigeria, there are heightened fears in some quarters that the Liberian-American may have been used as a delivery system of a well designed biological weapon of mass destruction in Nigeria.

Mr. Sawyer, the first reported Ebola case victim in Nigeria, was said to be under medical surveillance in Monrovia, Liberia, his home country before escaping into Nigeria. (Click to See More at: Patrick Sawyer Was Under Surveillance in Liberia).

Already, a group known as GreenWhite Coalition over the years, had sponsored articles on the internet ‘exposing’ America’s destabilization plots against Nigeria. Among others things accused of them include running of Boko Haram under a Covert Operation by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in order to destabilize Nigeria, for their (America’s) economic interests, and make her perpetually dependent on them.

Although, I do not wholly subscribe to the allegations in the articles, however some information in the ‘revelations’ cannot be totally discarded.

A former US Republican Presidential Candidate, Ron Paul, once admonished his country, "May be we ought to consider a Golden Rule in foreign policy: Don't do to other nations what we don"t want happening to us. We endlessly bomb these countries and then we wonder why they get upset with us."

The Ebola Epidemic in Africa

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) was first identified in 1976 in Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. It typically occurs in outbreaks in tropical regions of sub-saharan Africa. The fatality rate is 90%; and the largest outbreak to date is the ongoing epidemic which is ravaging some part of West Africa.

So far it has been diagnosed in over 1,700 people and has killed more than 932 in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria. About 60 percent of those infected has been killed.

The stakes are high. Lagos is Nigeria’s commercial capital and biggest city with 21 million people, in a country of more than 170 million. An outbreak in Lagos will be a disaster in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Why They Want to Depopulate Nigeria

Before now, there have been reports that America and other western powers are not comfortable with Nigeria’s rising population. Pundits believed that Nigeria’s population confers on her some competitive advantage and strategic role in Africa and the world at large. Today, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the most populous black nation in the world – a possible threat to western influence and dominance in Africa.

 

America is the world economic power, and china is reportedly the second largest economy. With Chinese population (almost 1/4 of the World’s population) and its competitive technology -- currently threatening America’s dominance, there are fears that China may soon over take America as the world economic power.

Now insinuations are rife that in order to prevent a ‘Chinese repeat’ in Africa, which may undermine America’s influence and continual dominance of Africa, Nigeria’s population need to be tamed and the country destabilized and made economic-dependent.

Years ago a popular alternative medical practitioner and founder of IRIS Medical Foundation in Lagos, late Prof. Paul Ojeih who once claimed he could cure AIDS, alleged that there was nothing like HIV virus. He insisted that the so called ‘virus’ was just a ‘factor’ created by American scientists to ‘depopulate’ the black world. He even mentioned names such as Ted Turner of CNN, and Bill Gates of Bill and Melina Gates Foundation, as the secret sponsor of the ‘depopulation’ campaign.

Skeptics noted that America's anger over an anti-gay law enacted in another sovereign country (like Nigeria and some African countries) underscores its interference on African affairs. Even as Cynics view the annual financial aids to African countries as a ploy to continue to dictate to and manipulate their affairs for its economic gains.

China is a capitalist country, and not even a democratic nation, yet America cannot harangue them or interfere on their way of life or even 'teach' them how to run their country. Why? Because China is sorely independent and only runs a bilateral relationship with America on its own volition, and not by external manipulations.

In short, China (including some Asian countries) has one of the toughest sanctions for corruption and drug-related offences in the world, yet America dared not 'lecture' them on the harshness of such laws. Same with China to America.

The Mystery

On why a secret serum developed by a San Diego based Biopharmaceuticals –MAPP, was administered only on 2 white Americans remains a mystery.

Dr Kent Brantly and Dr Nancy Writebol, American Christian missionaries, contracted the virus while helping to treat victims in Liberia.

Dr  Kent Brantly, walking unaided after initial treatment

Confused by the development, an award-winning Journalist and New York Times bestselling author, Nick Chiles, critically wrote on Atlanta BlackStar:

"The saga of how the drug made it to Liberia and was administered to the Americans - Dr. Kent Brantly and Dr Nancy Writebol - reads like something out of a Hollywood movie."

Patrick Sawyer, a naturalized American originally from Liberia, died in a Nigerian hospital without recieving a dose of the drug called ZMapp.

Nancy Writebol, at Emory University Hospital, Atlanta. Photograpgh: John Spink/AP 

"The World Health Organization told CNN it was not involved in the decision to give the drug to the Americans, who had to provide consent because the drug, had only worked on primates and had never been tried on humans.

San Diego-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical has been working on an Ebola serum for several years with the National Institutes of Health and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, an arm of the military responsible for countering weapons of mass destruction.

The 'Conspiracy'

Soon after the reported treatment, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told CNN that health authorities “cannot start using untested drugs in the middle of an outbreak, for various reasons.”

Also, Doctors Without Borders issued a statement saying: “It is important to keep in mind that a large-scale provision of treatments and vaccines that are in very early stages of development has a series of scientific and ethical implications. As doctors, trying an untested drug on patients is a very difficult choice since our first priority is to do no harm, and we would not be sure that the experimental treatment would do more harm than good.”

Similarly, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN that Mapp has very few doses ready for patient use.

“Apparently the company is trying to scale up, (but) it’s not easy to scale up to very large number of doses,” he said.

Already some sources at the US Centre for Disease Control have said, "there are virtually no doses available" and they would take several months to manufacture.

Questions Begging for Answer

Why would America find it tenable to treat only two of its citizens with the so called ‘experimental’ drug? Is it racism or somewhat bio-terrorism?

Why would America delay in responding to the request of the 'miracle' drug from Nigeria’s Ministry of Health considering the emergency of the outbreak? As of Wednesday, 6th August, 2014, Nigeria’s minster of health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, revealed that America has not responded to Nigeria’s request for the drug.

Okay, as I am writing this piece now reports coming in indicate that United States government has refused to give Nigeria the ‘experimental’ drug, on the reason that it will be "premature" to share it with Africa.

Why would America refused to share their trial drug with Ebola victims in Nigeria and other West African? Won't the drug be administered with the consent of the dying victims?

According to Vanguard newspaper, “President Obama stated that it is 'premature' to send an experimental medicine for the treatment of Ebola to West Africa, as he lacked enough information to approve the drug that was already being used on two American aid workers whose conditions were said to have improved by varying degrees.”

Really? So it’s “premature” to share the drug with Nigeria, but not “premature” to use it on US citizens?

Finally, what will happen to our population if our "brothers" in the northern Nigeria - the members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, who have been on suicide mission, discovers the 'profitability' in contracting this disease? Won’t it be an easy way for them to disseminate this virus undetected and decimate a large proportion of Nigeria, and possibly convert it to a bio-terrorism for biological warfare against the Nigerian State?

Although America's culpability in this plague has not been established, but these questions and many more need to be answered even as we reflect, research and pray for a possible cure for this deadly plague.


Chike Nnamani, a critical thinker and public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja, Nigeria.