President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats, releasing ₦10 billion in emergency funding to strengthen Nigeria’s response to the disease resurging in neighbouring countries.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this on Tuesday, saying the fund would bolster the operational capacity of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical public health emergency activities.
The task force will be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and state representatives.
Tinubu’s directive followed a stakeholder meeting convened under Gbajabiamila’s chairmanship to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop containment strategies against possible Ebola importation, as the disease has recently resurfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
Among the measures approved are intensified passenger screening at all international airports, enhanced monitoring of arrivals from high-risk airline routes — including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines — and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at Lagos and Abuja airports.
Additional protocols include mandatory QR code-based pre-arrival health declarations for passengers from designated high-risk countries, disinfection of airport facilities, and the possible designation of specific terminals for high-risk flights.
The President also directed states hosting international airports and border corridors to submit preparedness plans and funding requirements for coordinated implementation.
