NATIONAL HONOURS: WHY DR. ADADEVOH WAS NOT INCLUDED—PRESIDENCY

The presidency has stated that it cannot bestow the National Honours Award posthumously on Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, the Senior Consultant/Physician and Endocrinologist at First Consultant Hospital in Lagos, who many noted ‘sacrificed’ her life to curb the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) by restraining Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, who was the index case of the Ebola Virus Disease in the country to his bed.
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, last week, approved the award of National Honours to deserving individuals in various categories. The omission of Dr. Adadevoh drew criticism from commentators who argued that she should have been honoured posthumously.
Responding to the allegation, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe explained that the establishing laws of the National Honours make it impossible for the president to include her in the list. His tweet via his handle, @doyinokupe reads, ” I hv (have) rcvd (received) enquiries as 2(to) why dr adadevoh was not included in d (the) honors list. By law establishing it, nat.honors ( National Honours) cannot be given posthumously”.
In response to questioning by some of his followers, he hinted that the late doctor will receive a befitting honour and recognition in no distant time, stressing that there is no need to break the law in her favour. He tweets, “At d (the) appropiate (appropriate) time dr adadevoh will rcv (receive) a befitting honor”, the other reads, “no need to break d (the) law when we can still achieve same result without violation of our own law”.
The Nigerian National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and friends of Nigeria every year. They were instituted by the National Honors Act No. 5 of 1964, during the Nigerian First Republic, to honour Nigerians who have rendered service to the benefit of the nation.
The chief of staff, all the service chiefs including the acting inspector-general of police, eight governors, nine ministers and a host of other professionals, politicians, traditional rulers, a taxi driver, and the head of presidential stewards will receive the awards on Monday, September 29, 2014, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Dr. Ameyo died on Tuesday, 19th August 2014 from the EVD contracted from Sawyer. She was the first grandchild of Mrs Sarah Idowu Abigail Adadevoh nee Macaulay, making her a great granddaughter of the late nationalist Herbert Macaulay described as the founder of Nigerian nationalism.
Her Father, Prof. Babatunde Kwaku Adadevoh, who was a grandson of the grand old man of Nigerian anti-colonial politics was also a physician.
Source: Vanguard