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.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the emergency intervention fund will enhance the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical public health emergency response activities across the country.
The newly constituted task force will be chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and will comprise representatives from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as state governments.
The move follows the recent resurgence of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, raising concerns about the possible importation of the disease into Nigeria.
President Tinubu’s approval came after a stakeholders’ meeting chaired by Gbajabiamila to assess Nigeria’s level of preparedness and develop strategies to prevent the virus from entering the country.
Participants at the meeting included representatives of 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 relevant agencies.
As part of the response measures, the President directed all states with international airports and border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their preparedness plans, funding requirements, and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.
The task force has been mandated to immediately intensify passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control measures. Authorities will also increase monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, TAAG Angola Airlines, Kenya Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines.
Additionally, referral and isolation centres will be activated at the international airports in Lagos and Abuja, with plans to extend the initiative to other airports nationwide.
The Federal Government also ordered the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers travelling from or transiting through designated high-risk countries.
Other precautionary measures include the disinfection of departure halls, cargo facilities, baggage handling areas, and other airport infrastructure.
