President Bola Tinubu has approved the creation of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and directed the immediate release of N10 billion to strengthen Nigeria’s readiness against potential outbreaks.
The emergency funding is intended to enhance the operational capacity of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical public health response measures across the country.
According to a statement issued by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the newly established task force will be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. Membership will comprise representatives from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as state government representatives.
The development comes amid renewed concerns over the resurgence of Ebola cases in neighbouring African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The statement noted that the President’s approval followed a stakeholders’ meeting chaired by the Chief of Staff to assess Nigeria’s level of preparedness and develop strategies aimed at preventing the importation of the virus into the country.
Participants at the meeting included representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Lagos State Government, and other key agencies involved in public health and border management.
As part of the response framework, President Tinubu directed all states hosting international airports and border corridors, along with relevant MDAs, to submit detailed preparedness plans, funding requirements, and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.
The task force has been mandated to intensify passenger screening procedures at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and strengthened crowd-control measures.
Authorities will also increase monitoring of passengers arriving through airline routes considered high-risk, including flights operated by Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines.
The President further approved 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 subsequently.
Additional preventive 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.
Airport authorities have also been directed to intensify the disinfection of departure halls, baggage handling areas, cargo sections, and other airport facilities as precautionary public health measures.
Furthermore, the President instructed the advisory group to engage security agencies, diplomatic authorities, and aviation stakeholders on possible regulations affecting flights from countries identified as high-risk or currently affected by Ebola outbreaks.
The task force is also expected to designate specific airports or terminals for flights originating from high-risk destinations in order to facilitate controlled screening, monitoring, and isolation procedures where necessary.
In addition, it has been directed to examine the possibility of adjusting flight schedules to reduce interaction between passengers arriving from high-risk countries and other travellers.
The latest measures form part of the Federal Government’s proactive efforts to prevent a recurrence of the 2014 Ebola outbreak and strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to respond effectively to emerging public health threats.
