President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats, alongside the release of N10 billion to strengthen Nigeria’s readiness against a possible outbreak.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the fund will support the operational preparedness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and other critical public health emergency response activities.
The statement said the task force, chaired by Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, will comprise representatives of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as state governments.
The development follows recent reports of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, raising concerns over the potential importation of the disease into Nigeria.
“The President has approved the immediate release of N10 billion as emergency intervention funding to strengthen the operational preparedness of the NCDC and support critical national public health emergency response activities,” the statement said.
The decision was reached after a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Chief of Staff to assess Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies to prevent the entry of the virus into the country.
Participants at the meeting included officials from the Ministry of Interior, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Lagos State Government and other relevant agencies.
As part of the measures approved by the President, states hosting international airports and border corridors have been directed to submit their preparedness plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.
The statement noted that the task force would intensify passenger screening at international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control measures.
It added that authorities would strengthen monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.
“Immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports has also been approved, while similar facilities will be established at other airports,” the statement added.
Other measures include the mandatory use of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for travellers arriving from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of airport facilities, baggage handling areas and cargo terminals.
The President also directed the task force to work with security, diplomatic and aviation authorities to review flight operations from affected countries and designated high-risk locations.
“The Task Force is expected to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights and consider flight scheduling adjustments to minimise contact between high-risk passengers and other travellers,” the statement said.
The government said the measures are aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s preparedness and preventing a repeat of previous public health emergencies linked to cross-border disease transmission.
