The Heroes, Heroines Who Saved Lagos from Ebola

By ayodeji ake

When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Nigeria free of Ebola in October, relief swept through Lagos. Individuals like Funmi Eko Ezeh, Abimbola Bowale, Samson Parker, Franklin Umenze, and more have emerged as heroes and heroines of the big blow Ebola received.

Lagos, a bustling hub of more than 20 million people, had been the point of entry for the virus when Liberian official Patrick Sawyer collapsed at the First Consultants Medical Centre in July. Experts feared an epidemic that could spiral out of control in Africa’s largest city. Instead, what unfolded was one of the most celebrated examples of epidemic containment in modern times.

At the heart of the story was Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, the physician who refused to bend to pressure and insisted Sawyer be quarantined. Her decision, borne of medical insight and moral courage, stopped Ebola from slipping into the open population. It was a moment of resolve that cost her life but spared countless others. Alongside her were colleagues at First Consultants — doctors, nurses, and hospital staff who acted with discipline and paid dearly. Their vigilance in the first hours ensured that Nigeria’s battle against Ebola did not begin with chaos.

The real fight unfolded in the streets and neighbourhoods, where the Ebola Emergency Operations Centre, led by Dr. Faisal Shuaib, orchestrated a relentless response.

The fight was not just about prominent people. It included lesser-known figures, doctors, field leaders, and frontline workers. Among them are Ezeh, Bowale, Parker and Umenze.

They worked on case management and provided clinical leadership as patients were identified and treated.

As an Epidemic Intelligence Services Officer with Livid Project in Lagos, Ezeh monitored and analysed epidemiological data to track and respond to Ebola to support disease prevention strategies. She also engaged with civil society and communities to promote awareness and collaborated with the Lagos state Ministry for Health, NGOs for effective intervention programs, utiliding laboratory skills for diagnostic testing and providing actionable insights.

Then there were the field workers. Nearly 150 contact tracers, many of them young professionals, carried clipboards into crowded neighborhoods, visiting homes every day for 21 days to check on almost 900 contacts. They made more than 18,000 visits in total, patiently recording symptoms and calming fears. Some were threatened, some were shunned, but they pressed on. Their persistence built a wall around the virus, breaking transmission chains before they could spread.
Laboratory staff provided certainty in a landscape of rumor. At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and other partner facilities, Nigerian scientists used advanced diagnostics to confirm or rule out cases within hours. Without their accuracy, panic might have led to false alarms or missed cases. Their work was reinforced by the infrastructure built over decades by experts like Prof. Oyewale Tomori, whose advocacy for laboratory networks meant Nigeria had the scientific tools it needed when the crisis struck.

Leadership at the state level was swift. Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola returned urgently to Lagos and worked with Health Commissioner Dr. Jide Idris to mobilise resources, quarantine facilities, and establish isolation wards. Their actions gave the city structure and authority at a time when fear threatened to take hold. Dr. Idris did more than lead policy; he stayed visible on the ground, keeping the Lagos public health teams aligned with national directives. Their names may not have dominated international headlines, but each carried a weight that kept the system moving.

At the federal level, Health Minister Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu declared a national emergency, linked state and federal operations, and communicated clearly with a nervous public.

International partners such as the WHO, CDC, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières lent technical expertise, but it was Nigerians who bore the weight of the crisis. Ambulance drivers transported suspected patients, waste management teams disposed of dangerous materials, and social mobilisers with megaphones spread the word in markets and bus stops. Every layer of society was engaged in the response, from high-level policymakers to the most local of community actors.
In the end, Nigeria recorded just 20 cases and 8 deaths. In a city as vast and mobile as Lagos, those numbers are astonishing. The outcome was not luck. It was the product of courage, coordination, and sacrifice.

The heroes and heroines of Lagos came from every corner: the late Dr. Adadevoh, who stood firm when it mattered most; her colleagues who shielded the city with their lives; state and federal leaders who did not hesitate; medical professionals like Ezeh, Bowale, Parker, and Umenze who carried the clinical burden; and the unnamed contact tracers, scientists, and mobilisers who worked in anonymity but changed the fate of a nation.

What Nigeria achieved this year will be remembered as a turning point. It showed that even in one of the most challenging urban environments on earth, Ebola could be stopped. It also proved that public health is not just about systems and protocols but about people — men and women who act with courage when the stakes are highest.

Lagos did not fall. Instead, it stood tall, carried by its heroes and heroines, and gave the world a lesson in how to face fear with resolve.