On Thursday, the 27th of February 2020, the Nigerian Government confirmed the country’s first case of corona virus. The patient is an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria, and had returned from Italy to Lagos on 25 February. According to a statement released by the Office of Nigeria’s health minister, Osagie Ehanire, the patient was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and is currently being managed at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.
Following the breaking of this news, there have been several stories making the rounds on social media that the Italian citizen in question may be an employee of Eni. We would like to state that this is not the case. The Italian citizen in question does not work for Eni and has not visited any of our offices. All our offices remain operational.
In a televised interview with Channels TV, the Deputy Governor of Lagos, Dr Hamzat Bello, gave greater details on the case. The Italian citizen in question is a consultant with a company in Ogun State and on arrival in Lagos proceeded to Ewekoro where he fell ill, and was subsequently returned to Lagos in an ambulance and taken into medical treatment.
Eni remains committed to the health and safety of all its employees, and to maintaining appropriate measures, alongside other conscientious citizens of Nigeria and, indeed, the world, to ensure the effective containment of the corona virus. The Company reduced national and international business trips to a strict minimum, increased internal awareness campaigns reiterating the importance of maintaining healthy hand and respiratory hygiene habits at all times, and has implemented specific tools to ensure personnel is constantly informed on decisions and actions taken.