On Ebola, Chinese junior Olympics and patriotism

As China source of the majority of global pandemics in the last decade imposes a ban on Nigerian athletes, We Nigerians need to rethink our patriotism. “I wouldn’t be waiting for some kind of permission from some guy named Goodluck Jonathan,” US Senator John McCain

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a ban on all athletes from Ebola affected West African Countries from participating in the Youth Games in China.  The IOC announced that athletes would not be allowed to take part in combat sports and swimming pool events despite there being no suspected cases among the athletes, and no secondary or primary contact with infected people. Reports emerged that Nigerian athletes have been quarantined, isolated and barred from training with athletes from other countries. Athletes from affected regions in West Africa will also undergo regular testing in the form of temperature checks and physical assessments throughout the games. Sardonically, China a country that exported the last two major pandemics bans Nigerian athletes.

According to the IOC there are no suspected cases of Ebola reported in China and “the risk of infection is extremely unlikely”. The ruling will affect only three athletes as Nigeria and Sierra Leone have withdrawn in protest to the clear discrimination against their athletes. The ban, no doubt will be crushing for the West African athletes who trained for years in the lead up to the games. Almost 100 percent of the deaths caused by the Ebola virus in West Africa (including the American index patient Patrick Sawyer) occurred outside Nigeria. Even the Federal government’s swift response and commendable management of the crisis; the quarantine of confirmed cases, identification, isolation, and surveillance of primary and secondary contacts did little to shield Nigerians from the action taken by the IOC and Chinese Authorities. Interestingly, the ban does not apply to Togo – where Sawyer re-boarded a flight to Lagos – and Saudi Arabia, whose Ebola suspect died of a “heart attack” from undisclosed complications. Similarly, the United States with three infected citizens – including the importer of the disease to Nigeria – was spared the ban.

There are very obvious racial undertones in the discourse surrounding Ebola and the treatment of West African athletes and citizens in China and elsewhere. A recent incident happened in Canada where a Nigerian man, who later tested negative for the virus, was quarantined upon arrival to the country.  It is ironic that China should choose to exclude African athletes from the games given their chequered legacy with infectious diseases. When “Bird Flu” (Avian Influenza) a highly pathogenic disease spread throughout Asia since 2003, reaching Europe and ultimately northern Nigeria in 2007. Tens of thousands of poultry livestock were culled with adverse fortunes for many Nigerians. Likewise, the Chinese SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak lasted from November 2002 to July 2003 eventually led to 8,273 cases and 775 deaths reported in countries across the world with the majority of cases in Hong Kong. 37 countries suffered from the SARS outbreak. There is no vaccine for SARS. Isolation and quarantine are the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the disease. It is instructive that Chinese nationals and tourists in Nigeria experienced no discrimination or social exclusion despite the dangerous nature of this deadly disease. In both cases, the opacity of the Chinese government and initial denial – according the World Health Organization – led to a wider spread of the disease and avoidable loss of lives.

Given the terrible image and stereotypes that we Nigerians perpetuate of our nation by talking down our country to the rest of the world, it is not surprising that countries like China are able to follow through with exclusionary policies; Having no fear of repercussions. It is fashionable to hear Nigerians reduce our country to the lowest decimal. Statements like “anywhere else”, “other places”, “Nigerian factor”, have consequences for our image. In international media our politicians and social commentators consistently portray a weak or non-existent central government. They delight in belittling leading public officials and national institutions. These inconsiderate depictions of Nigeria by her own “social activists” empower people like Senator McCain – an inveterate hawk who has never seen a war he did not like – to make impolite statements like the one above.

It is naive to believe there are no consequences for our actions when we go beyond civil boundaries and badmouth our country, its institutions and elected officials. The most credible critic of a country is a national of that country. We have glorified “troubled” countries like Ghana and Saudi Arabia and built myths around how utopian their societies are, relative to Nigeria. Truth be told, Nigeria has a higher average income than Ghana ($3,633 v/s $1,850), lower poverty levels, much lower national debt ($39 per person versus $754 per person), greater individual freedom and yes, in the last two years, more credible elections. For Saudi Arabia, if you are female, try getting to drive a car or walking on the street. If you are male, try publishing an article critical of government. One takeaway of this Ebola incident is that we need to rethink our patriotism and the consequences of smearing our country’s image.

Mordi is the CEO of the National Competition Council of Nigeria

CHIKA MORDI