The Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, had a meeting with 5 Ebola survivors in the state yesterday, September 18, 2014, and they took the opportunity to narrate their ordeal.

The meeting was also attended by some members of the State’s Executive Council.

The survivors include: Dennis Akagha, the fiancé of late Justina Ejelonu, the pregnant 25-year-old nurse who worked at the First Consultant Hospital and died after making contact with Patrick Sawyer, Dr Fadipe Akinniyi, Dr. Ibeawuchi Morris, Dr. Adaora Igonoh and Kelechi Enemuo, wife of late Dr. Iyke Samuel Enemuo, who died in Port Harcourt after contracting the disease from Olu-Ibukun Koye, an ECOWAS official he treated secretly.

They each took turns to express their gratitude and their joy at being spared.

 Dr. Igonoh said:

“It is a day of joy. I want to say that we are here today because of God. It was He that made us to survive. We are privileged to see this day and to be here with everybody, it is an honour. Thank you so much Governor Fashola, we can’t thank you for everything.

Dennis Akagha said: “I really want to appreciate and commend everything you have done.”

The governor is said to have called for a minute of silence to be observed in honour of those who lost their lives to the disease.

He said:

 “We sympathize with you for the trauma that you went through. Perhaps it was avoidable. But I am sure that hard lessons have been learnt. Beyond that, I must congratulate you the survivors of the EVD. I felicitate with you and members of your family and friends. But most importantly, I thank you so much for coming forward because you took a great thing and you showed so much courage. And you have helped us to take next step forward. And you have helped us to put an end to the spread of the EVD.”

There have been 19 confirmed cases of Ebola in Nigeria and 8 people, including index case, Patrick Sawyer, have died from the disease.