Dr Ameyo Adadevoh - Our National Heroine

The supreme sacrifice for her and a few co-workers was death. Her diligence and vigilance averted a nationwide epidemic that has so far been nipped in the bud. She was determined to do what was right especially in resonance with the ethics and conduct of her profession. Not minding the fact that her patient carrying the deadly Ebola virus was an ECOWAS delegate from Liberia who managed to escape undetected at the airport and who was simply keen on getting a medical clearance from the First Consultant Hospital to travel to Calabar for the “8th Joint Retreat of ECOWAS Institutions, Permanent Representatives and National Units”; the heroine in her came to bear as she ensured that her patient was quarantined, while she quickly sent his blood sample for further analysis at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). The result confirmed her suspicion and the authorities were immediately alerted.

She was a professional to the core with a direct, committed, inquisitive, and thorough approach. Testimonies abound of her lack of tolerance for half measures. She was a mother and a family doctor to many.

Her prompt approach witnessed a corresponding and notable response from the authorities who also identified the Ebola Virus as a national threat which portends disaster for Nigeria if left unattended to. Designated quarantine centers were quickly in place in various parts of the country and independent volunteers to care for the few citizens that contacted the virus in addition to the nurses and doctors on ground were solicited. A media campaign was also set in motion with a high sense of responsibility emanating from the highly informed Nigerian public.

Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, senior consultant endocrinologist physician, great granddaughter of one of Nigeria’s founding father- Herbert Macaulay, has done Nigeria a selfless service and has paid the price with her life which deserves every posthumous honor possible.


Her love for Nigeria and indeed humanity would be celebrated for a long time to come.