Memorial Lecture & E-Celebration
FACH Memorial Lecture and E-Celebration in honour of late Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevo The Foundation for African Cultural Heritage (FACH) is dedicated to the advancement of the common good of Africa's citizens, families and nations. As the continent grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline workers who put themselves in harms way for the common good, are our everyday heroes.
While the COVID-19 saga is still unfolding, the near-miss of the Ebola outbreak of 2014 is not far from our memory. Nigeria and by extension, all of Africa is indebted to the bravery of one woman, Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh. A Consultant endocrinologist at a private hospital in Lagos, with no previous experience with the disease, she accurately diagnosed Nigeria's first case of Ebola in July 2014. Withstanding threats from different quarters, she prevented the premature discharge of the index case. These acts of bravery ultimately ended with her contracting Ebola along with 12 other members of staff of First Consultant Hospital. Of these 13, 4 died:
Dr. Amos Abaniwo
Nurse Justina Ejelonu
Nurse Aide Evelyn Uko
Her professional expertise, courage, steadfastness and sacrifice, galvanized the Nigerian government to action which culminated in the successful containment of Ebola in the country. The World Health Organisation declared Nigeria Ebola free in Oct 2014, with just 20 cases recorded in the most populous black nation in the world. That is the impact of the life of Dr. Ameyo Adadevo.
To honour the courage of this outstanding Amazon, FACH is hereby announcing the beginning of an annual award ceremony in her honour. The Ameyo Adadevoh Award will recognize people who display inspiring qualities and values which serve the common good of humanity. Fully recognizing that countless Nigerians home and abroad share FACH's indebtedness to this selfless woman, we at FACH would like to give every Nigerian who wishes to do so, an opportunity to be part of this event.
On account of the ongoing pandemic, the first awards will be given in 2021. For this year, a Memorial Lecture and E-Celebration will hold on Oct 27, 2020, what would have been Dr. Adadevoh's 64th birthday. This lecture aims to celebrate her as a worthy ambassador of selfless service of the common good and recognize the impact of her sacrifice to safeguard the lives of Nigerians. In addition, we wish to encourage the professionalism, courage, patriotism and dedication to humanity which she displayed not just in her heroic work during the Ebola outbreak but throughout her career. These qualities are part of Africa’s cultural heritage and their promotion is a big part of our organization’s mission.
To further commemorate this anniversary, online e-cards will be made available to the public for Nigerians to also express their good wishes and appreciation. The e-cards will be launched on September 30th and will be delivered to the Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh Health Trust on October 27, 2020 as part of an E- Celebration of Life.
We hope to garner the support of professional bodies, corporate organizations, celebrities, social media influencers, radio and TV stations and individuals of good will to make this date a memorable one nationally.