Tinubu Approves N10bn Ebola Response Fund, Sets Up Emergency Task Force

immediate release of N10 billion for Ebola preparedness and established a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease as Nigeria intensifies efforts to prevent the disease from entering the country.

The decision follows the growing Ebola outbreak in parts of Central and East Africa, which has claimed hundreds of lives and prompted global health concerns.

According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the task force will be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and will include representatives from key ministries, departments, agencies and state governments.

The N10 billion intervention fund will be used to strengthen the operational readiness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical public health emergency response activities nationwide.

The task force was constituted after a high-level stakeholder meeting convened by Gbajabiamila to assess Nigeria’s preparedness against a possible Ebola outbreak.

Participants at the meeting included officials from the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Lagos State Government.

As part of the emergency measures, President Tinubu directed the immediate intensification of passenger screening at all international airports. He also ordered enhanced temperature checks, crowd-control measures and stricter monitoring of travellers arriving through routes considered high-risk.

The President further approved the activation of referral and isolation centres at the international airports in Lagos and Abuja, with plans to extend the initiative to other airports across the country.

He also directed the mandatory use of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers arriving from or transiting through designated high-risk countries.

Additional measures include the disinfection of airport facilities, baggage areas, cargo sections and departure halls, as well as the possible designation of specific terminals for high-risk flights to facilitate controlled screening procedures.

The current outbreak, linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, was first confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo before spreading to Uganda.

Health authorities have warned that there is currently no licensed vaccine specifically approved for the Bundibugyo strain, making surveillance, early detection and rapid response critical to containing the disease.

Nigeria successfully contained a major Ebola outbreak in 2014 and is seeking to prevent a recurrence through proactive preparedness measures.