Many states across the South West Zone are putting in place new strategies to contain any outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in order to meet Monday’s resumption date announced by the Federal Government.

In Oyo State, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Solomon Olaniyonu, said government and relevant stakeholders had put in place mechanisms to ensure that schools resume on Monday.

Olaniyonu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan that sensitisation on the disease had been ongoing among the stakeholders.

“Oyo State schools will resume on September 22 as promised because enough sensitisation campaigns has been going on the disease.

“We have been meeting with all stakeholders including principals, teachers and students,” he said.

Olaniyonu also said that his ministry met with the Board of Technical and Vocation Education and the All Nigerian Confederation of Secondary Schools Principals (ANCOPS).

The ministry, he added, had deployed top government officials to rural areas to sensitise residents on the disease before resumption of schools.

“If not for the fact that there is no proper demarcation of boundaries, there would have been no fear of Ebola in this state,” he said.

He said that the Federal Ministry of Education has requested for the number of schools so that the Federal Government could help out with the facilities needed to fight against Ebola.

Mr Waheed Olojede, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state, however, told NAN that schools would not resume until adequate measures were in place.

“Until adequate measures are put in place by government to check the spread of the dreaded Ebola virus, no school will resume,” he said.

He said that apart from the sensitisation exercise carried out by the Ministry of Education, no facility was in place in schools to prevent the spread of the disease.

Mrs Olufunmilayo Ojoawo, the President of the All Nigerian Confederation of Secondary Schools Principals (ANCOPSS) in the state, said the resumption date was a source of concern to the body.

She also said preventive kits were yet to be put in place in schools to check the disease.

“If an infected EVD child enters the school, it will just spread like wildfire and this will be very bad,” she said.

In Ogun, the state government said it had trained no fewer than 12, 000 teachers to handle any possible outbreak of Ebola in schools, ahead of Monday’s resumption date.

The state Commissioner for Education, Segun Odubela, stated this in an in an interview with NAN.

Odubela said that the teachers were drawn from public and private primary and secondary schools in the state.

He added that an additional 3,000 teachers would be trained on Thursday.

The commissioner said that the training programme was facilitated by the state Ministry of Health and some private medical practitioners in the state.

He added that the state had also procured preventive and protective gadgets like hand-gloves and sanitisers for use in the schools.

Odubela said that the state government was already liaising with the Federal Ministry of Education for the procurement of infra -red thermometers to check the temperature of students before resumption.

He explained that the government was also making efforts to ensure that there were clean toilets and running water in the schools.

Odubela said that a special desk had been created in the ministry with a dedicated line for issues relating to the disease.

Mr Anthony Kansi, the Head teacher of Lawson International Private School, said government had put in place adequate measure to contain any outbreak.

“We are fully prepared for Monday’s resumption; all our students will be properly screened before resumption.

“Their temperature will also be checked to ensure that any case of exceptionally high temperature is reported to nearest hospital for prompt health care,’’ he said.

In Akure, Ondo State, NAN investigations revealed that teachers may resume for duty on Monday.

Mr Solomon Igbelowowa , the Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Ondo State, said the state government had given an assurance that all necessary preventive measures would be in place before Monday.

Igbelowowa said the union had met with the government and was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting.

“Our position is clear. We want the government to assure us that the lives of our children are not endangered by taking precautionary measures against outbreak of the dreaded disease in our schools.

“The Ondo State Government has assured us that sensitisation and training of teachers on prevention and early detection of the virus would start on Thursday.

“However, I can assure you that teachers will not resume if government reneges on its promise.

“We have no problem with September 22, we are only concerned with the wellbeing of our children,” he said.

Mr Yunus Junaid, the proprietor of Main Minaret Group of Schools, Oba – Ile, Akure, said the school had appointed a desk officer saddled with the responsibility of sensitising the pupils on basic personal hygiene.

According to Junaid, the desk officer would monitor pupils’ health and report any unusual health development to the relevant health bodies.

The proprietor, however, expressed regret at the high cost of infrared thermometer.

In Kwara, the state government said that it would soon commence training of teachers to contain the disease.

Alhaji Saka Onimago, the state Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, stated this in Ilorin.

He said all schools in the 16 local government areas would provide two teachers each to be trained on containing an outbreak.

The commissioner stated that the exercise would commence as soon as the Federal Ministry of Health and Education provided the necessary materials.

Onimago, however, said all public and private schools had been directed to resume on Monday for the First Term of the 2014/2015 academic session.

“All schools are also directed to provide basic hygiene materials such as soaps, washing bowl, towels and hand sanitizers for teachers and students,” he said.

In Osun, Mr Lawrence Oyeniran, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, said government had met with stakeholders on how to contain the disease.

Oyeniran told NAN in Osogbo that the states government had ensured that teachers and health workers were given adequate training.

“Bearing in mind that children will be coming from different homes, it becomes important that teachers are given the basic knowledge on how to prevent the outbreak of the disease.

“Apart from updating them on basic health management issues, they will be refreshed on how to assist students to improve on personal hygiene.

“Two health workers will be on ground in each school, and for them to work effectively; we have bought hand thermometers for their use.

“These thermometers will be used to check the temperature of each student as they come into the school to ensure that anyone who has high temperature or signs of fever will be excused to receive medical attention before coming to school.

“We have met with the management of private schools, principals and health workers to sensitise them and encourage them to be up and doing in respect of the EVD.

“Parents bringing their wards to school will be rest assured that there will be no problem in terms of their children contacting the virus,” he said.

“Training was held on Wednesday at Akinorun High School, Ikirun, Technical College, Osogbo and Baptist High School, Ede.

“There will be another training on Thursday at Oduduwa High School, Ile-Ife, Ilesa High School, Ilesa and Iwo Baptist High School, Iwo.

“On Friday, it will be the turn of teachers within Ife East Area office at Modakeke, High School in Ife East area of the State,’’ he added.

He enjoined parents not to leave the duties of ensuring hygiene to teachers alone as their wards often spend more time at home.

Some parents in Osogbo, however, expressed reservations at Monday’s resumption date for schools.

Some of them, who spoke to NAN, said that it was risky for students to resume when the disease had not been totally contained.

The Ekiti State Government, however, said schools would not resume until all precautionary measures had been taken.

The state’s Deputy Governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, told NAN that the state government would not unilaterally choose a resumption date for schools.

Adelabu, who is also the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, said a new date for resumption would be made public after a meeting with all stakeholders.