President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday approved N10billion as emergency fund for a Presidential Task Force to shore up Nigeria’s defenses against the haemorrhagic virus, Ebola.
The President’s action is a response to recent outbreaks in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga in a statement said the funding, earmarked to boost the operational readiness of the National Centre for Disease Control (NDCD), and Prevention and to underwrite national emergency-response activities, was released immediately.
The move signals an urgent federal government’s drive to strengthen surveillance, isolation and rapid-response capacity at points of entry and across state health systems.
The task force will be chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and include representatives from relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies as well as State governments.
President Tinubu’s approval followed a stakeholder meeting convened by the Chief of Staff to assess Nigeria’s preparedness and craft defensive measures against potential importation of the disease.
Participants at the meeting included officials from the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Lagos State government, among others.
In a set of immediate directives, President Tinubu ordered intensified passenger screening at all international airports, stepped-up temperature checks and crowd-management protocols, and enhanced monitoring of arrivals on routes deemed high risk — including carriers such as Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, TAAG Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines. Referral and isolation centres are to be activated immediately at Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
The President also mandated QR-code pre-arrival health declarations for travellers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries and ordered precautionary disinfection of departure halls, cargo and baggage areas and other airport facilities.
The task force has been instructed to consult with security, diplomatic and aviation authorities on possible regulation of flights from affected countries, to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation, and to consider timing adjustments to reduce passenger interactions.
NewsQuest reports that the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda is rapidly escalating, with the WHO upgrading the threat level to “very high” in DRC and declaring it a public health emergency of international concern.
