President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and directed the immediate release of N10 billion as emergency intervention funding.
The fund is expected to strengthen the operational readiness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the task force would be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, with membership drawn from relevant ministries, departments and agencies as well as representatives of state governments.
The decision follows recent outbreaks of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, raising concerns over the possible importation of the disease into Nigeria.
Tinubu’s approval came after a high-level stakeholders’ meeting chaired by Gbajabiamila to assess Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies to prevent the spread of Ebola into 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 key stakeholders.
As part of measures to strengthen preparedness, the President directed all states hosting international airports and border corridors, alongside relevant government agencies, to submit detailed plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.
The task force has been mandated to intensify passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control measures.
It will also strengthen monitoring of passengers arriving through identified high-risk routes, including flights operated by Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, TAAG Angola Airlines, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.
Other directives include the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with similar facilities to be established at other airports across the country.
The task force is also expected to enforce mandatory QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers arriving from or transiting through designated high-risk countries.
Additional precautionary measures include the disinfection of airport departure halls, cargo handling areas, baggage sections and other airport facilities.
Tinubu further directed the advisory group to work with security, diplomatic and aviation authorities to review and regulate flights originating from affected and high-risk countries.
The task force is also expected to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to facilitate controlled screening and isolation procedures, while considering adjustments to flight schedules to minimise contact between high-risk passengers and other travellers.
The federal government said the measures are aimed at preventing the importation of Ebola into Nigeria and strengthening the country’s capacity to respond effectively to emerging public health threats.
Deji Elumoye
