As panic continues to grow over the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, Temitope Joshua (popularly known as Pastor T.B Joshua), the Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, has directed Ebola victims to stay in their countries.
Mr. Joshua's directive followed a plea by the officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Federal Government who visited his church, last Sunday, to seek his cooperation.
"What makes you a good citizen makes you a good Christian. There is a general law in every country that binds against Ebola victims from crossing borders," Mr. Joshua announced on the church's official website and Facebook page.
"Obey the law of your land and it shall be well with you. Obey the law of the land by not crossing the borders of your nation with Ebola virus," he added.
Jide Idris, the Lagos State Commissioner of Health, who led the government delegation, said that the visit is one of government's strategies to seek collaboration with faith-based organizations.
"We have our strategies that we intend to share with you," said Mr. Idris, a medical doctor.
"Again, we need to know the resources you have here because whether it is one or two cases, if they are allowed to get out, it is a major problem. We are here to work together on how to contain this disease," he added.
Mr. Joshua, the General Overseer of the Lagos-based church, is controversial for his claims of using divine powers to heal all kinds of ailments, prompting sick people from across Africa and the world to regularly throng his church.
Last week, Ituah Ighodalo, the Founder of Trinity House, sparked outrage on his Facebook page after he said that "the Name of Jesus" will cause the viral spread to stop.
The pastor had since come out to clarify that his Facebook post was merely a "message of hope and faith reminding us of the ever living words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
At least 826 people have died from Ebola since January as the virus continues to spread across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The Nigerian Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, on Monday said that a medical doctor in Lagos has been infected with the deadly Ebola virus.
The unnamed doctor marks the second case of confirmed Ebola infection in Lagos after Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian, contracted and died of the ailment last month.
According to the Prof. Chukwu, 70 other people believed to have come into contact with the Liberian were being monitored.
Of the eight people now in quarantine, three show "symptomatic" signs of the disease, the health minister said.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201408050164.html
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