Tinubu Approves N45bn for Disease Surveillance in Five Airports

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a N45.8 billion biosecurity and disease surveillance system for five international airports as Nigeria strengthens its capacity to detect and respond to infectious disease threats.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed the approval on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.

The project will be implemented through a 20-year public-private partnership concession awarded to BioHealth Consortium, following the council’s approval of its full business case.

The five airports covered by the initiative are Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport and Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.

According to Pate, the system will strengthen Nigeria’s ability to identify emerging public health threats at the country’s borders. More than 18 million passengers travel through Nigerian airports annually, making effective surveillance at entry points essential to national health security.

The project will deploy wastewater surveillance to detect pathogens associated with aircraft, alongside air and surface sampling equipment and technologies for monitoring cargo and baggage.

It will also establish a National Surveillance Operations Centre to coordinate real-time monitoring, integrate information from relevant agencies and support rapid responses to suspected outbreaks. Modern laboratories will provide rapid diagnostic capabilities at the designated airports.

The facilities will work with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Port Health Services, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

The minister said the initiative was informed partly by lessons from Nigeria’s recent response to an imported Ebola case. He stressed that stronger surveillance at airports would help authorities detect threats earlier and coordinate responses more effectively.

Under the concession arrangement, the private-sector partner will design, finance, build, operate and maintain the facilities, while the Federal Government retains policy, institutional and regulatory oversight. The assets will revert to the government at the end of the concession in accordance with the agreement.

The approval forms part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness against Ebola and other infectious diseases while protecting public health and economic activity.