President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and authorised the immediate release of N10bn in emergency intervention funding as Nigeria moves to strengthen its defences against a rapidly spreading outbreak in parts of Africa.
The development follows growing international concern over the resurgence of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, where at least 349 deaths have already been recorded, prompting the World Health Organization to declare the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the newly established task force will be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and will comprise representatives from key ministries, departments and agencies, alongside officials from state governments and relevant health institutions.
The presidency said the task force was created as part of proactive measures aimed at preventing any possible outbreak in Nigeria and ensuring that the country’s public health system remains adequately prepared for emergency response operations.
Onanuga explained that the N10bn intervention fund would be deployed to strengthen the operational capacity of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and support critical national preparedness activities.
The funding, according to the statement, will be used to improve surveillance systems, expand laboratory testing capacity, procure medical supplies, enhance emergency response coordination and reinforce border health measures across the country.
“The fund will strengthen the operational preparedness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and support critical national public health emergency response activities,” the statement noted.
The task force was constituted following a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened by Gbajabiamila to assess Nigeria’s readiness in the face of the escalating outbreak in East and Central Africa.
The meeting brought together representatives from several strategic institutions, including 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.
Officials at the meeting reportedly reviewed existing public health protocols and evaluated measures required to prevent the importation and spread of the deadly virus into Nigeria.
As part of the emergency response strategy, President Tinubu directed the immediate intensification of passenger screening procedures at all international airports across the country.
The president specifically ordered enhanced temperature checks, stricter crowd-control measures and increased monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes connected to the affected regions.
According to Onanuga, the affected airline routes include RwandAir, Air Tanzania, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines, among others operating direct or connecting services from outbreak-affected countries.
The presidency also directed relevant agencies to strengthen coordination at border entry points, increase public awareness campaigns and ensure rapid reporting of suspected cases.
Health officials say the measures are intended to prevent a repeat of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, which triggered nationwide panic before it was successfully contained through aggressive contact tracing and emergency public health interventions.
Nigeria earned global recognition at the time for its swift containment efforts after an infected traveller arrived in Lagos from Liberia, leading to a coordinated response that prevented widespread transmission.
Medical experts have repeatedly warned that increased international travel and cross-border movement continue to pose significant risks during infectious disease outbreaks, especially in highly connected regions.
The Federal Government assured Nigerians that there was currently no confirmed case of Ebola in the country but stressed that preparedness remained critical given the severity of the outbreak in neighbouring regions.
Officials urged citizens to remain calm, observe hygiene protocols and cooperate with health authorities while the government intensifies preventive measures nationwide.
The latest intervention is expected to boost confidence in the country’s emergency health response system as authorities work to safeguard public health and prevent the spread of the virus into Nigeria.
