The intervention aims to bolster the operational capacity of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and enhance the country’s overall readiness to detect, contain, and respond to public health emergencies.
The announcement comes as Ebola has resurfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, raising concerns over possible importation through international travel routes.
The Task Force will be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and will draw members from relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as well as state representatives. Its formation follows a high-level stakeholder meeting convened under Gbajabiamila’s chairmanship to assess Nigeria’s current preparedness levels and formulate robust countermeasures.
Key participants at the meeting included officials from 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 critical agencies.
President Tinubu has also instructed all states with international airports and border corridors, along with relevant MDAs, to submit detailed plans, funding requirements, and intervention needs for coordinated national implementation.
The Task Force has been tasked with implementing a suite of proactive measures. These include intensified passenger screening at all international airports, featuring enhanced temperature checks and improved crowd-control protocols.
There will also be heightened monitoring of arrivals on high-risk routes operated by carriers such as Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines. Referral and isolation centres will be immediately activated at Lagos and Abuja international airports, with plans to extend these facilities to other airports.
Additional steps involve the mandatory use of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, alongside comprehensive environmental disinfection protocols covering departure halls, cargo areas, baggage handling zones, and other airport facilities.
The advisory group has been directed to consult with security, diplomatic, and aviation authorities to potentially regulate flights from affected countries, designate specific terminals or airports for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and consider adjusting flight schedules to minimize interaction between high-risk passengers and others.
Nigeria has a history of successfully containing Ebola outbreaks, most notably in 2014 when swift public health action limited the virus’s spread despite its arrival in Lagos. However, the re-emergence in neighboring regions underscores the persistent threat posed by highly lethal pathogens in an interconnected world.
The N10 billion allocation signals a significant financial commitment to infrastructure, training, surveillance, and rapid response capabilities — critical in a country with extensive air and land links across West and Central Africa.
Public health experts often emphasize that early preparedness, robust surveillance at points of entry, and inter-agency coordination are the most effective tools against viral hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola, which can have fatality rates exceeding 50% in some outbreaks without timely intervention.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, confirmed the President’s directives in a statement released today.
