The Senate on Wednesday urged the federal government to make screening mandatory at all international entry points and across the country as part of measures to prevent an outbreak of the Ebola virus.
Lawmakers also called on the government to release emergency funds to the relevant health agencies as authorities confirmed an imported Ebola case in the capital and raced to contain the virus’s spread.
The resolution, adopted after a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senator Francis Faduyile, calls for screening at every international airport, seaport and designated land border.
It reflects mounting concern that current protocols, which apply only to travelers from selected countries, could leave Nigeria exposed as an Ebola outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) spreads across parts of Africa.
Faduyile warned that the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, first detected in Congo, had spread to other African countries, including Uganda and Kenya, raising the risk that infected travelers could reach Nigeria through third countries.
He cited the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s (NCDC) assessment of importation risk and pointed to Nigeria’s 2014 experience, when an infected traveler arrived in Lagos and triggered an outbreak.
The warning gained urgency after the government confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja on Tuesday.
Minister of Health Muhammad Ali Pate said laboratory tests confirmed the infection in a woman who had recently traveled from Uganda.
She developed symptoms on October 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja four days later.
Sources said authorities have identified 44 contacts for tracing.
Uganda’s Health Ministry disputed suggestions that the infection occurred there, saying the patient had transited through Uganda after a business trip to eastern Congo and that travel through Uganda alone does not establish where exposure took place.
The ministry said Uganda had no confirmed active Ebola cases at the time.
While acknowledging existing federal measures, including health-declaration forms and increased screening, lawmakers said the limited geographic scope of those protocols could undermine disease surveillance.
They also cited shortages of personnel and equipment at entry points and the country’s continued reliance on the Quarantine Act of 1926, a law they said is ill-suited to modern public-health threats.
The Senate urged the ministries of health, finance, budget and economic planning to fund the NCDC and Port Health Services in the 2027 budget and release outstanding allocations.
It also called for immediate emergency spending from the service-wide vote to strengthen surveillance and preparedness.
Under the resolution, all international arrivals—regardless of nationality or point of departure—would undergo health-declaration checks, temperature screening and symptom assessment.
Travelers who visited or transited through affected areas within the previous 21 days would face enhanced screening, while departing passengers would be screened during declared public-health emergencies.
The Senate further asked the Health Ministry, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to equip entry points with trained Port Health officers, thermal scanners, protective equipment and isolation facilities.
It also urged the preparation of isolation and treatment centers across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Lawmakers called for replacing the century-old Quarantine Act with legislation aligned with the International Health Regulations of 2005, arguing that stronger legal and operational defenses are needed as Nigeria already contends with Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria.
The Senate’s action came as regional health officials reported that Kenya had recorded its ninth Ebola case, while Congolese authorities continued to report a heavy toll from what has been described as the country’s deadliest outbreak.
