President Bola Tinubu has approved the creation of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of ₦10bn to strengthen Nigeria’s readiness against a potential outbreak.
The announcement was made by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said the emergency funding would support the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and other critical public health response activities.
The move comes amid renewed concerns over the spread of Ebola following recent outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
According to Mr Onanuga, the task force will be chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and will include representatives from relevant ministries, government agencies and state governments.
“The fund will strengthen the operational preparedness of the NCDC and support critical national public health emergency response activities,” Mr Onanuga said.
He explained that President Tinubu’s decision followed a high-level stakeholder meeting led by Mr Gbajabiamila to assess Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies to prevent the importation of Ebola into the country.
Representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Lagos State Government attended the meeting.
As part of the emergency measures, the President directed states hosting international airports and border corridors to submit their preparedness plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.
The task force has also been instructed to intensify passenger screening at international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control procedures.
Authorities will increase monitoring of passengers arriving on routes considered high-risk, including flights operated by Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, TAAG Angola Airlines, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.
The government has further ordered the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the international airports in Lagos and Abuja, with similar facilities to be established at other airports across the country.
Additional measures include the mandatory use of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for travellers arriving from or transiting through designated high-risk county.
Airport departure halls, baggage handling areas, cargo sections and other facilities will also undergo regular disinfection as a precautionary measure.
Mr Onanuga said President Tinubu had directed the advisory group to engage security, diplomatic and aviation authorities on possible restrictions and regulations for flights from affected countries.
The task force is also expected to identify specific airports or terminals for handling high-risk flights and consider adjusting flight schedules to reduce contact between potentially exposed travellers and other passengers.
Health officials say the measures are aimed at preventing the importation of Ebola and ensuring Nigeria can respond rapidly should any suspected cases emerge.
