President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of N10 billion to strengthen the country’s emergency response capacity. The President said the intervention fund would bolster the operational preparedness of the……
President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of N10 billion to strengthen the country’s emergency response capacity.
The President said the intervention fund would bolster the operational preparedness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical public health emergency response activities nationwide.
According to a statement on Tuesday, June 9, by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the newly established task force will be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and will comprise representatives of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as state governments.
The move follows renewed concerns over the resurgence of Ebola Virus Disease in neighbouring African countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
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Onanuga said President Tinubu’s approval came after a stakeholders’ meeting chaired by Gbajabiamila to assess Nigeria’s preparedness and formulate strategies to prevent the possible importation of the disease into the country.
The meeting was attended by 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 critical stakeholders.
As part of measures to strengthen surveillance and response mechanisms, the President directed all states hosting international airports and border corridors, alongside relevant MDAs, to submit their preparedness plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.
The statement said the task force would immediately intensify passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols.
Authorities were also directed to strengthen monitoring of passengers arriving through routes considered high-risk, including flights operated by Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.
In addition, referral and isolation centres are to be activated immediately at the international airports in Lagos and Abuja, with similar facilities to be established at other airports across the country.
Other measures approved by the President include the mandatory deployment of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers arriving from or transiting through designated high-risk countries.
Airport authorities are also expected to carry out regular disinfection of departure halls, cargo sections, baggage handling areas and other airport facilities as precautionary measures.
President Tinubu further directed the advisory group to engage security agencies, diplomatic missions and aviation authorities on possible regulations affecting flights from affected and designated high-risk countries.
The task force was also mandated to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to facilitate controlled screening and isolation procedures and to consider adjustments to flight schedules to reduce interaction between high-risk passengers and other travellers.
The Presidency said the measures are aimed at safeguarding public health and ensuring Nigeria remains prepared to respond swiftly to any potential outbreak.
