Ebola Outbreak: Locals In Uganda Urge Vigilance Amid Virus Response

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:13]Coming up in West Africa, a young doctor who contracted the Ebola virus while treating an infected patient is being buried in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

[00:00:30]Over 309 n Ghanaian nationals have been repatriated from South Africa amid growing anxiety over anti-migrant sentiments. Plus, it is children's day today. The spotlight is on children in orphanage homes focused on their welfare and emotional well-being.

[00:01:10]Welcome to the program today. I'm Ebubak to our Muslim viewers here on the continent and around the world. We begin with a warning, however, from the World Health Organization that the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is hampering response to the Ebola outbreak in the country. Dr. Tedris Gibrius, the WHO director general, says the east of the country is at the center of a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with Ebola outbreak in it province outpacing the response. In a statement posted on X, Tedros said the WHO cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling. He's expected to arrive in the DRC today to spare ahead scaling up efforts to contain the virus. There have been 220 suspected deaths since the outbreak was declared.

[00:02:01]Meanwhile, the United Nations says there are more than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths linked to Ebola in the DRC. Briefing reporters in New York, Deputy UN spokesperson Faren Hack says the WHO director general is traveling to the DRC as part of intensified response efforts. It also the WHO and 55 humanitarian partners are currently active across affected areas providing essential health services including treatment for acute malnutrition while supporting the outbreak response with local authorities. The UN says funding remains urgently needed to sustain operations warning that humanitarian access to and protection of health workers are critical to containing the spread of the disease and delivering care to affected communities.

[00:02:57]We have an update on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[00:03:02]According to WHO, there are more than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths linked to Ebola in the DRC. The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adenam Gabrius, announced that he would be traveling to the country today. In a social media post, he said WHO and 55 humanitarian partners are present across the affected areas providing essential health services including treatment for acute malnutrition.

[00:03:31]WHO is on the ground supporting national authorities with every pillar of the response including contact tracing, establishing treatment centers, strengthening laboratory capacity, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication, community engagement, and more. But he added that our work continues to be impeded by violence and limited access to some of the hardest to reach communities.

[00:03:58]Together with the DRC government, the UN and its partners continue scaling up the response to the ongoing crisis and also as we mentioned last week to address the broader humanitarian and health needs of the affected communities. Funding remains urgently needed as well as sustained and safe access so that responders can be protected from the Bola virus so that they can provide protection and care to affected communities and to allow humanitarian teams to deliver aid and a full package of healthcare services to the communities in need.

[00:04:35]In the meantime, a young doctor who contracted Ebola while treating patients has been buried in Bunia under strict sanitary protocols as fears mount over the safety of health workers in the front line of the outbreak in the DRSC.

[00:04:50]Red Cross teams and health personnel conducted a controlled burial ceremony, including disinfection procedures and secured handling of the body as grieving relatives and colleagues looked on from a distance. Local health authorities confirmed the doctor was infected while treating Ebola patients in Ituri province later died from the disease.

[00:05:12]Medical associations say the death highlights the risks faced by frontline workers despite ongoing response efforts. Health officials report hundreds of suspected cases and deaths since the outbreak began in April this year with Ebola strain identified as the Bundi Buyo for which there is currently no approved vaccine.

[00:05:40]While neighboring Uganda has stepped up nationwide screening, quarantine and disinfection measures as authorities work to contain a resurgence of Ebola virus disease and prevent crossber spread from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Residents are using handwashing and sanitization stations as health workers intensify public safety measures. Local residents say they're concerned about the risks of further transmission, but acknowledge the importance of government following those government guidelines such as regular handwashing and the use of sanitizers.

[00:06:14]Uganda's Ministry of Health confirms seven total cases of Ebola, including one death with several patients under treatment and high-risisk contacts in quarantine as surveillance is expanded across border districts.

[00:06:38]Let's break away from health issues to talk about the tensions around undocumented migration in South Africa, which continues to spark concern across the continent following protests that have left some foreign nationals fearing for their safety. Today, a group of 300 Ghanaian nationals was repatriated from South Africa amid growing anxiety over anti-migrant sentiments and calls by some groups for undocumented foreigners to leave the country. Speaking during the repatriation process, Ghana's ambassador to South Africa, Benjamin Kofi Kwashi, called for calm, respect for the rule of law, and greater cooperation between African nations prevent further tensions. Our correspondent innocent Samosa attended the repatriation process and sent this sent this report >> close to about 326 people that are currently there. Unfortunately, we going to only be able to take 300 seats at this point. Um we are aware that the same aircraft company has been hired again for another badge that in um in a couple of days or less than a week. So what we'll do is that the first badge will go we'll bring another badge and then refont to any Ghanaian in this country that wants to go is truly truth for us to work with the government of South Africa to get this far. This should indicate to us that there diplomatic ground because we couldn't have done this on our own. We did it with the direct involvement of the South African government with the direct involvement of state institutions in in South Africa border management department of home security services.

[00:08:23]These were processes that were all done by the institutions in South Africa. If there was a diplomatic round, I don't think you would have gotten a straight so 62 years ago, Nigeria adopted May 27 as a day to celebrate every Nigerian child, promote child welfare, child rights, and raise awareness about issues affecting children across the country. Drawing from the official theme of the 2026 National Children's Day, Future Now promoting inclusion for every Nigerian child, Channel Television shines a spotlight on children or orphanage homes, examining their welfare, emotional well-being, and the challenges that administrators face in running these homes.

[00:09:12]The theme for the 2026 National Children's Day celebration, Future Now, promoting inclusion for every Nigerian child, sends a strong reminder that every child deserves a place to call home, a safe space to grow, and a hand to hold.

[00:09:29]While thousands of children may have a safe home, a routine, and a family to lean on, a report by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development as well as UNICEF says there are about 17.5 million orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria with roughly 7.3 to 8.6 billion of these children being single orphans who have lost one parent or total orphans who have lost both of their parents.

[00:09:58]According to the 2024 Lady Helen Child Health Foundation research, there are 278 registered orphanages nationwide with Lagos State hosting at least 55 approved homes. The report notes that hundreds of unregistered and informal homes also operate across the country.

[00:10:19]Since it officially began operations in 2006, Heritage Homes in Lagos has been one of these many approved facilities that have created a safe space for these children to develop their aspirations and dreams. We are very particular about those first days, those first weeks, those beginning time when the child comes into the home. We work with the child emotionally, physically, not just feeding and going to school, but to make sure that the child is groomed into a total child that can fit in, that can have a personal identity.

[00:10:57]With over 22 years of running the hearts of gold children's hospice, Mrs. Laja Adidui shares how children from different parents and backgrounds are unified under one home. I look after children with special needs, children that uh have cerebral puly, down syndrome, congenital abnormalities, the kind of uh disabilities that some people would not even want to be associated with, but those are my children. So I always say societies reject my treasures.

[00:11:34]>> Get to the kitchen. You can see >> running these childcare institutions comes with distinct challenges for the children and the caregivers fighting to give them a better future. Some of the challenges that we face for daily operations would include um you know trying to get the right donors for the needs that the children have um part time because um sometimes the children's needs may be school fees >> for children with disabilities. I know that there's been a lot of awareness over the years uh in terms of acceptability but then we still have a lot of hurdles to overcome. The more awareness you are able to create the better for the society and that even for parents who have these children you don't have to throw them away. They are human beings. We should all embrace them. When we have children in institutional care, there's a lot of um developmental compromise that the child would face cognitively in terms of emotional development, in terms of psychosocial support. There's just so much that is going on that the child may not have access to. So we need um those policies in terms of regulation, training, financing and um general um safeguarding framework that is not just um on paper that is actually seen to be implemented. Government at various levels remain committed to addressing these challenges and strengthening child protection systems, safeguarding vulnerable children from abuse, exploitation, violence, and neglect. As a nation and government, we will continue to strengthen policies and programs that protect the rights of children and expand opportunities for every child to succeed. There are also calls for a broader implementation of laws such as the Child Rights Act, which outlines specific frameworks that ensures vulnerable children are protected and cared for at all times.

[00:13:52]We'll be talking more about Children's Day when we come back after the break.

[00:13:56]We have a guest on standby. She is Dr. Lula Along, the founder, Child Health Advocacy Initiative. this after the break. Do stay with us.

[00:14:17]Also coming up after the break, President Batin will urging Nigerians to be tolerant and obey the rule of law in his in her and her message today.

[00:14:35]Welcome back to Network Africa. We're all children, aren't we? Uh to discuss children's day, today is founder child health child health advocacy initiative, Dr. Lola Alonga. She joins us from her home in here in Lagos. Dr. Along, thank you for joining us on the program today.

[00:14:51]And should I say happy children's day, cuz we're all children, aren't we?

[00:14:57]>> Yes. Happy Children's Day to our lovely Nigerian children. I'm so happy to be part of this program today because this is an opportunity to really connect with them and talk about the state of the Nigerian child.

[00:15:09]>> Indeed. And as a founder of a children's organization, what does children's day mean to you?

[00:15:16]>> Well, I'm happy we have the 27th of May set aside yearly in Nigeria to celebrate our children. This is an opportunity to take stock uh how our children fury. Um I'll start by saying United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child which in Nigeria is a signary has a right to life to develop and to survive and of course to be protected from all forms of abuse.

[00:15:44]And the good news in Nigeria is that um out of 36 states um we have 24 states that have actually passed this um act and then we have just like I think at Sina and then Cano and Zanura that are yet to actually have the child rest act passed and domesticated in their seats.

[00:16:04]So that means there's progress, there's um interest in helping the Nigerian child. But unfortunately um I've heard um we have laws in place, we have policies in place to protect the Nigerian child. Um but actually in the in reality it's far from it. Uh maybe we should start with education for example.

[00:16:22]Um there's a saying that if you want to develop any country, you must focus on education and to eradicate poverty in Nigeria most especially we must really really focus on education. But now we can see what is happening all over the place there. Are all our children in school? No. Um we have statistics which shows that about 18.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria. I get really worried when I move around and I see the children walking running after vehicles even in cities like Lagos and of course we know in the north for example where um we have them as alma majury streets begging and things like that. These are vulnerable children who should have been protected. And then when we look at the root cause of all this, we're trying grappling with a lot of problems now in Nigeria, poverty and kidnapping. Um, everybody is under a lot of um pressure when we were there. But it all starts by not protecting the Nigerian child. If these children in the first place have grown up with so much support and care, we things would have been a lot better which means every child would have been educated, will have a skill, will be able to um earn a good living and the rate of poverty will be low. So we need to look at the issues surrounding Nigerian child looking most especially at education and see how we can get rid of the children on the streets, get the children to the schools. Unfortunately like the statistics we have now the children are not even in school because of kidnapping, terrorism and all all that. So that means a lot we have to go back to the drawing board. How can we get the children back to school and that starts with government showing more commitment and interest in getting in supporting education in Nigeria for example.

[00:18:04]>> Right Dr. Dr. Along um if you could just paint a picture of what the future could look like. Um, you're talking about children being outside of schools at the moment and then, you know, a lot of them are going through stuff outside of Lagos. Lagos seems to be the safest place right now for most Nigerian children, but they're still not in school. But in areas where you've had kidnappings and so on paint a picture of the kind of society that that results to.

[00:18:32]>> Yeah, that's what I was just trying to say. Um the poverty rate is very high and that is why you see maybe a lot of the children on the streets and they will tell you oh my parents said I have to go out there to get some money so we can feed and all that that means the government must really show more commitment and do something like I said get the children back to school. If it is um like introducing the school we had the school feeding program at a time but unfortunately one way or the other they stopped that that could even help the children. Oh, there's food to eat in school, so let's go to school. And that would actually help the child to be able to um stay in school. And of course, the schools are not even safe any longer from what we have seen currently. The case of kidnapping in a in O state and I think another case in Quirra state and all that, which means the government needs to do a lot more. We had this safe school policy in place and I even heard there's like a national coordinator for the slave school but nothing is being done. For example, there's supposed to be like policies in even the school when it come to ch school pro child protection. Schools must have policies in place. The schools must be must have a fence. They must have like security.

[00:19:44]So government must do a lot more in the area of getting the place secured.

[00:19:48]getting community leaders and traditional leaders to work with them to make sure the children even that are in school are protected so that the others can even not live with fear but come to school. Then we also look at cases like even health care. Um most of these children don't even have good health care because of their their parents are not um comfortable enough. These are vulnerable children who they can't even pay hospital bills and all that. So there should be a a way where government can come in to make sure they support the children. For example, in the UK and the US you have buses and vans health vans that go to schools to check these children and do health checks for them.

[00:20:25]But you know they always say that we don't have you know the same scenarios here in Nigeria and in the UK unfortunately uh and unfortunately we also have run out of time you know for this interview. Dr. Long, thank you so much. Um really cannot exhaust, you know, talking about children. Thank you and we hope you'll join us again uh when we raise a conversation again. Thank you.

[00:20:47]>> Thank you. Thank you. So nice being here.

[00:20:51]Nigeria's ambassador to Seron, Ambassador Aayo Luther says her appointment by President Bolatinu is a significant step towards greater inclusion of women in leadership. But she insists there's still much more ground to cover before Nigeria reaches the internationally accepted benchmark of 35% female representation.

[00:21:12]It's a grand reception for Ambassador Aayor Luther Aub as the people of Abaluma in Portot River State celebrate their daughter following her appointment by President Tunibu as Nigeria's ambassador to Sierra Leon. The atmosphere is one of pride and celebration. A community marking a moment they say belongs to all of them.

[00:21:32]For the diplomat, it's a perfect occasion to speak plainly about the state of women's representation in Nigeria's leadership structures. She acknowledges progress under President Tinu while making it clear that acknowledgement and satisfaction are not the same thing. With deep respect and appreciation, I wish to express my profound gratitude to his excellency Paula Ahmedu, GCMR, president and commander of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for graciously finding me worthy to serve our nation Nigeria as high commissioner to the Republic of Syria.

[00:22:17]This appointment is not merely a personal achievement but a separate responsibility to serve Nigeria with integrity, patriotism, professionalism and excellence. On her appointment, Ambassador Luther Abuhade is both grateful and cleareyed, describing it not as a personal milestone, but as a responsibility she intends to carry with integrity, patriotism, and a commitment to advancing Nigeria's interests on the African continent. As I prepare to serve Nigeria on the African continent in the Republic of Syria, I do so fully conscious of the enormous responsibility before me. I pledge to represent our nation with dignity, wisdom, professionalism and honor. I will work tirelessly to strengthen diplomatic relations and foster coration to more peace and security.

[00:23:22]>> Traditional rulers in the area are excited about her appointment which they believe brings honor to the land. This appointment has given us immense joy, pride and a sense of holistic fulfillment through the male dominated society within the diplomatic to appointed ambassador especially from the minority of minorities.

[00:23:50]>> I am very proud. I am very proud because I know who she is. She's a woman of integrity and she's hardworking. She's focused and I know she will succeed by God's grace.

[00:24:02]>> The high point of the ceremony was the confirmment of a chief teny title on Ambassador Lutheran and her inauguration as an honorary member of the Abulma Council of Chiefs. A gesture the community describes as their own way of sending her forth with their blessings.

[00:24:17]Charles up room channels television news.

[00:24:22]And in the spirit of the IDAL ad celebrations, President Bolatinu has urged Nigerians to embibe the lessons of the festival and love one another. He observed Eidel cave prayer at Doden barracks in Lagos Island alongside the national security adviser Nuadu chief of staff to the president the governor of Lagos stateu the deputy governor of the state uh Kadri Hamzat and speaker of the Lagos state house of assembly Murashu Obasa as well as other dignitaries.

[00:25:01]Thank God Almighty Allah for us who had provided for us to and keep us to see another year uh another EAP.

[00:25:18]We thank his mercy and we must learn from the lessons of this season.

[00:25:31]and is showing love to one another, no discrimination, no ethnicity, no hatred and we should share love and be generosity to one another. Nohere in the only teaching that you should engage in banditry.

[00:26:03]Nowhere that you should kill another human being.

[00:26:09]The sacrifice we are talking about even in the beginning of life where we take this from a child was replaced with animal and that is what the value of life is all about.

[00:26:36]So, we're ending the program and of course our fun fact today is on children. So, here is something you probably did not know about uh children's day, especially here on the continent. The fact that the young generation of uh the world, the youngest generation of the world of course is here on Africa. In many African countries, more than half the population is under the age of 25. Meaning millions of children and young people are shaping the continent's future every single day.

[00:27:06]From tech innovators, and student inventors to young athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs, African children are already making a global impact at incredibly young ages. The future of Africa is not just coming, it's growing up right now with us. And now you know.

[00:27:25]Thanks for watching the program. I'm Amarachi Ubali. Happy children's day and evil back.