THE EBOLA MAN: Why Patrick Sawyer travelled to Nigeria – Wife

The widow of late Patrick Sawyer, Decontee, has said her deceased husband travelled to Nigeria in a desperate search for possible cure. Disclosing this in an article published in the TMZ Liberia magazine, she explained that Sawyer had no trust in the healthcare system in Liberia and had possibly headed to Nigeria with the hope of receiving better treatment for his ailment. Her thoughts shared on her Facebook profile from which TMZ Liberia sourced it for publication, is reproduced below:

“I’ve read other reports in other papers about Patrick’s “recklessness.” I get where they’re coming from, and they certainly have the right to feel the way they do. However, as Patrick’s widow, I would like to shed some light on this from another perspective. One that only I, his wife, would know. I knew Patrick better than anybody else (including himself). He had told me many times in the past how much he didn’t trust the Liberian healthcare system. He would tell me about how a person would get checked in for one thing, and get misdiagnosed and get the wrong treatment as a result. On top of that, Patrick was a clean freak, and told me how filthy a lot of the hospitals were.

“He didn’t tell me this, but I know in my heart of hearts that Patrick was determined to get to Nigeria by all means because he felt that Nigeria would be a place of refuge. He has expressed to me many times in the past that he felt passionately about helping to be a part of strengthening Liberia’s healthcare system, but he knew it wasn’t there yet, and he wouldn’t want to take a chance with his life because a lot of people depended on him… Patrick had a passion for life, and he wouldn’t have wanted his to end. So, I bet anything that he was thinking, if I could only get to Nigeria, more developed country than Liberia, I would be able to get some help. How ironic.”

“Patrick went to Nigeria for help so that he can get properly diagnosed, and not misdiagnosed in Liberia. And if it came back that he did have Ebola, he trusted the Nigerian healthcare system a lot more than he trusted the Liberian’s. His action, as off as it was, was a desperate plea for help. Patrick didn’t want to die, and he thought his life would be saved in Nigeria.”

Mrs. Sawyer then took a swipe at the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who said Mr Sawyer was indiscipline and disrespectful for failing to heed medical advise not to travel.

Mrs Sawyer

Mrs Sawyer said if President Johnson-Sirleaf had fixed the healthcare system in Liberia, her husband would not have left in search of treatment elsewhere.

“I write today, not simply because of Patrick, but because of the broken healthcare system in the Liberia, and the government’s inability under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (and other past Presidents) to fix it. Good doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers aren’t given the support they need to save lives.

“President Sirleaf went on CNN News throwing stones at Patrick, a man who can no longer defend himself, a man who worked tirelessly for Liberia. She should be ashamed of herself. I use to admire this woman, and was excited and proud of her accomplishment as the first woman President in the entire continent of Africa. She will always own that. We will always own that. It can’t be taken away from her. It’s something to be proud of. But this woman has failed her country,” she wrote.

Patrick Sawyer, a terrorist — Presidency

Meanwhile, the Presidency has tagged Sawyer a terrorist for importing the virus into Nigeria.

Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Youths and Students , Mr Jude Imagwe said this in Abuja during the dinner lecture and awards nights organised by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Youth Vanguard to honour prominent members of the party in the country.

He said Sawyer’s misguided action had brought pains and hardship upon Nigerians who have been going about their daily duties. He said such a man deserved to rot in hell.

He said: “Patrick Sawyer has brought pain and hardship to Nigerians. So many things have now changed because he brought this upon us. Even in churches, we are not free anymore.

“The woman who wanted to assist the terrorist from Liberia is dead now. This is bad. This virus is not an infection for the rich or the poor. It can affect anybody. We need to be careful.”

Speaking on the Federal Government’s efforts at minimising the spread of the virus, the SSA said: “One of the surest means of prevention is constant washing of your hand by soap. Everyone of us must not say that because this virus is in Lagos, we should then neglect taking care of ourselves.

“Mr President has taken the initiative to close down primary schools. This shows that our President means well for Nigerians. The Lagos State Government has also done a good job. As Nigerians, we need to assist government in assisting these people.”

The presidential aide equally spoke on the plight of handicapped youths in the country, promising that the government will never abandon them in their time of need.

He said: “One assurance I want to give to our brothers is that Nigerian youths who are handicapped are not alone. We know that they suffer some degree of isolation and rejection.

We are with them and we will never abandon them. My heart bleeds over things that are happening in our happening. Enough is enough. An attack on any part of the country is an attack on all Nigerians. Our people in the North cannot sleep anymore. This has to stop. The earlier we realise that it is not a Northern war or Borno war, the better for us. We must avoid use of unguided utterances. These things cannot help us. We need to change the way we do things.”