H. E. Dr. Bolere Elizabeth Ketebu:

Thank you. I wish to observe the protocol of this meeting and to express my appreciation for the honour and privilege given to me by the Chairman and members of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade to brief the committee on recent developments in Nigeria, bordering on the activities of Boko Haram insurgents, the outbreak of Ebola and trade between Nigeria and Ireland. This briefing session, organised by the committee, demonstrates clearly the concern of the Government and people of Ireland with regard to these challenges confronting Nigeria and it presents an opportunity for me to thank the numerous individuals, groups, associations and institutions in Ireland who have sent letters to the embassy condemning the activities of Boko Haram insurgents, especially the abduction of more than 270 schoolgirls in Chibok in Borno state and the indiscriminate killing of innocent people in the north east and central part of Nigeria.

The terrorist group Boko Haram is also known as Jama-atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which means "people committed to the propagation of Prophet Muhammad's teachings and Jihad". This sect in Nigeria claims to be propagating Islam. The group prohibits and seeks to destroy educational institutions specifically and it is also strongly opposed to all democratic ideals and principles.

As the members may be aware Boko Haram has within the past three years widened its campaign by launching vicious attacks against defenceless and innocent citizens, schools, government buildings, places of worship, villages, towns and marketplaces, resulting in the killing and maiming of hundreds, including the abduction of more than 200 Chibok girls. It has also displaced thousands of families, particularly in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states in north-eastern Nigeria. This terrorist group has succeeded in disrupting social life and has crippled economic activities in these areas. Regrettably, the sect has refused to date to release the schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, but some of the girls have managed to escape and have since returned home. The others still remain in captivity, however, despite all the efforts that have been made by the Nigerian Government to secure their release. Those efforts are now being complemented by technical and other support from the international community.

It is pertinent to note members of Boko Haram are known to be hiding in the Sambisa forest, which is a vast mountainous area. The Nigerian armed forces do not wish to launch an all-out military attack on the sect in this location so as not to endanger the lives of the abducted girls. Nevertheless, the federal government has continued to pursue a multi-track approach to the crisis, including negotiation and collaboration with neighbouring countries, namely, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and the Republic of Benin.

On 13 October 2014 the foreign and defence Ministers of the member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, including Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, met in Abuja to assess the security situation in the area. They prepared a common resolution for the attention of the United Nations Security Council and the African Union to facilitate the establishment of a legal framework for full-scale military operations against Boko Haram. The Ministers also agreed to share intelligence in the battle against insurgency and underscored the need for greater co-operation and collaboration among governments in the region to reinforce operational and intelligence capabilities. Member states further resolved to intensify efforts to co-ordinate the work of the multinational joint task force in the Lake Chad basin and welcomed pledges by member states and the Republic of Benin to deploy troops along common borders. This deployment will enhance security and facilitate the interception of weapons being trafficked in the region. Rather than intimidating the Nigerian government, terrorist acts will only help strengthen its resolve to develop appropriate national strategies and collaborate even more closely with the international community in the fight against this menace.

The outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever started in Guinea in March 2014. Subsequently, the outbreak spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. More than 9,000 people have become infected in the pandemic and more than 4,500 people have died in the three countries. The number of infections is still increasing every month according to the world health organisation. Nigeria became the fourth west African country involved in the Ebola outbreak when a dual US-Liberian citizen, Patrick Sawyer, who was infected with Ebola arrived in Lagos after flying from Liberia via Togo on 20 July 2014. He died five days later, and eight people who came into direct contact with him were later diagnosed with Ebola. In total eight people died from the infection in Nigeria, including two medical doctors and a nurse, out of 20 confirmed Ebola cases.

On 8 August 2014 the World Health Organisation declared Ebola in west Africa a public health emergency of international concern. Following this declaration the Nigerian President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, declared the outbreak of Ebola a national emergency in Nigeria and approved more than US$11 million to help contain it. The President further called on Nigerians to report any suspected Ebola cases to the nearest medical authorities. The public was further urged not to spread false information about Ebola which could lead to mass hysteria. In an effort to contain the spread of the Ebola virus, port health services in Nigeria began a contact tracing process to limit the spread of the disease and created an emergency operations centre to co-ordinate and oversee the national response.

The group worked with the airport and airlines to trace potential cases and decontaminated the airport as well as areas inhabited by people who might have come into contact with the virus. Entry and exit screening was also established at ports in Nigeria.

Health officials used a variety of resources, including telephone records and flight manifests, to track down almost 900 persons who might have been exposed to the virus via Sawyer or the people with whom he had contact. That group was monitored for symptoms for 21 days, with those under observation required to check in with health officials twice daily to provide health updates. As soon as people developed symptoms suggestive of Ebola, they were isolated in Ebola treatment facilities. Without waiting to see whether a suspected case tested positive, Nigeria's contact tracing team tracked down virtually everyone who had had contact with the patient since the onset of symptoms. During this contact tracing process, officials made a staggering 18,500 face-to-face visits. Aside from the contact tracing, Nigeria ensured a highly organised, methodical and informed response to the outbreak. This was crucial. Officials who were part of the emergency operations centre had resources with which to work and some had experience containing other viral diseases, like polio.

All 19 confirmed cases were traced back to Sawyer and no cases have arisen since, marking a successful containment of the virus. Since 8 September 2014, Nigeria has not recorded a single case of Ebola. After the mandatory 42 days - two incubation periods of the disease - without any reported infection, health authorities there issued a statement to the effect that the country was free from the deadly virus. On 20 October, the World Health Organization, WHO, officially declared Nigeria free of Ebola infections, describing the outcome the triumphant result of "world-class epidemiological detective work".

Now that the WHO has certified Nigeria as Ebola free, our Government has urged the international community not to discriminate and stigmatise Nigerians abroad over the Ebola virus pandemic, as there is no justifiable basis for doing so. The Nigerian Government has given an assurance that the country will remain fully vigilant to prevent the re-entry of the virus and will co-operate fully with other concerned nations to stop its spread in west Africa in particular.

Trade between Ireland and Nigeria has increased in recent years as new partnerships in various areas, including construction, information technology, consultancy services and a host of others, have been established between Irish and Nigerian businesses. This development is being facilitated by the embassy in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. As members are aware, the fourth Africa-Ireland Economic Forum, AIEF, concluded on 30 October. It was a major success and Nigeria had a large delegation of participants, representing an increase of more than 400% since last year. They found suitable business partners in Ireland and we hope to see further ties.

The embassy also organised an Invest Nigeria event at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel on 31 October 2014 to facilitate the establishment of business partnerships and promote trade between Ireland and Nigeria.

The turnout from both sides was impressive. The embassy hopes to build on this modest achievement to further deepen ties between Ireland and Nigeria in terms of business relations. Trade between the two countries could be further enhanced by enabling visa policies and direct links.

As I conclude my statement, I again express my appreciation for the support and solidarity Nigeria continues to enjoy from the Government and people of Ireland. I am sure the Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to strive to effectively contain the Boko Haram insurgency, secure the release of the schoolgirls and continue to assist our neighbours in containing the spread of the Ebola virus disease.