President Bola Tinubu has approved the release of N10bn in emergency funding to enhance Nigeria’s preparedness and response capacity in the event of a possible Ebola outbreak.
The approval comes amid renewed concerns over Ebola cases recently reported in parts of Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the federal government said the intervention is aimed at strengthening national disease surveillance and emergency response systems.
The statement said, “The fund will strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and support critical national public health emergency response activities.”
The funding will be channelled mainly through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to support coordination of prevention, monitoring, and rapid response operations across the country.
As part of the broader preparedness plan, Tinubu also approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats.
The task force will be headed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and will comprise relevant federal agencies alongside representatives of state governments.
Authorities say the move is part of efforts to prevent the importation of the virus into Nigeria, especially through intensified monitoring at entry points.
The statement added, “Intensification of passenger screening at all international airports, including enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols,” will be enforced under the new directive.
Implementation will involve agencies including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigeria Immigration Service, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, working in collaboration with other federal and state institutions to strengthen national preparedness.
