President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats, alongside the immediate release of N10 billion to strengthen Nigeria’s readiness against a potential outbreak.
The emergency intervention fund is expected to enhance the operational preparedness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and support critical public health emergency response activities nationwide.
Announcing the development, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the administration was taking proactive steps to prevent a recurrence of the devastating Ebola outbreak that once threatened the country.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of N10 billion as emergency intervention funding,” the statement said.
The task force, which will be chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, will comprise representatives from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as state governments.
The decision follows renewed concerns over the resurgence of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
“Ebola has recently resurfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, both neighbouring countries,” the statement noted.
President Tinubu’s approval came after a stakeholders’ meeting convened by Gbajabiamila to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies to guard against the possible importation of the disease.
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 were among those who attended the meeting.
As part of the response measures, the President directed states with international airports and border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their preparedness plans and funding requirements.
“The President also directed all States hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.”
The task force has been mandated to intensify passenger screening at international airports through enhanced temperature checks, crowd-control measures and increased surveillance of high-risk travel routes.
According to the statement, “additional measures to be put in place by the Task Force are intensification of passenger screening at all international airports, including enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols.”
The government will also activate referral and isolation centres at the international airports in Abuja and Lagos, while similar facilities will be established at other airports nationwide.
The statement added that “mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries” would be introduced as part of efforts to strengthen monitoring and contact tracing.
President Tinubu further directed the advisory group to work with security, diplomatic and aviation authorities on measures to regulate flights from affected countries.
“The Task Force is further directed to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight timings to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and others,” the statement said.
The Federal Government said the measures are aimed at ensuring Nigeria remains vigilant and fully prepared to respond swiftly to any emerging public health threat.