The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, has clarified that the ₦10bn emergency intervention fund approved by President Bola Tinubu is intended to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness against multiple public health threats rather than focus exclusively on Ebola.

Idris said the funding would support disease prevention, preparedness, early detection, rapid response and recovery efforts covering Ebola, Lassa fever, cholera, cerebrospinal meningitis, diphtheria, measles, monkeypox and antimicrobial resistance.

He explained that the money was released directly to the NCDC and not the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, which was established primarily to coordinate the national response.

The clarification follows public debate over the allocation after Nigeria confirmed an imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease in October.

Idris disclosed that President Tinubu approved the additional funding in June 2026, following the escalation of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo into a global health emergency. He maintained, however, that the agency’s request covered the country’s wider epidemic preparedness needs.

The NCDC chief also said the funding was insufficient to meet Nigeria’s overall health security requirements, noting that implementing the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS 2.0), covering 2025 to 2029, would cost approximately ₦522bn over five years.

This translates to an average annual requirement of ₦104.4bn, meaning the ₦10bn intervention represents about two per cent of the estimated yearly cost.

He said the country, with a population exceeding 240 million, required sustained funding from federal and state governments, as well as development partners, to strengthen its ability to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks.

Providing a breakdown of government funding, Idris said the NCDC received ₦4bn in 2024, while its allocation increased to ₦7bn in 2025, alongside a separate ₦5bn intervention fund. The 2026 Appropriation provides ₦22bn for the agency.

He also cited estimates by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board indicating that countries require between one and two dollars per person annually to achieve an acceptable level of epidemic preparedness.

On the Ebola situation, Idris said Nigeria confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease on October 20, following laboratory testing conducted within 24 hours of receiving an alert in Abuja.

He assured Nigerians that there was no active case in the country as of the time of his statement, while identified contacts remained under daily surveillance.

The monitoring, he explained, would continue until the last identified contact completed the mandatory 21-day period without developing symptoms or another case emerging.

Idris also dismissed calls for election postponement, travel restrictions and a blanket ban on public gatherings, saying the prevailing situation did not justify such measures.

He disclosed that the NCDC had instead developed technical guidelines for organisers of mass gatherings, with emphasis on compliance with infection prevention and control measures.

The director-general urged Nigerians to avoid spreading unverified information, warning that misinformation and the politicisation of public health emergencies could undermine public confidence and weaken the country’s response.

He called for greater attention to sustainable funding for health security, stressing that early detection and disease prevention could reduce the human and economic costs of uncontrolled outbreaks.