President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats.
The development was disclosed today by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, following concerns over the resurgence of Ebola in parts of Africa.
President Tinubu also released the sum of N10 billion to strengthen Nigeria’s readiness against any possible outbreak.
The intervention fund is expected to boost the operational capacity of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support key public health emergency response activities across the country.
Under the arrangement approved by the President, the task force will be headed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, with representatives of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as state governments serving as members.
The presidency noted that the renewed concern follows recent Ebola outbreaks reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, raising fears of possible cross-border transmission.
Tinubu’s decision came after a stakeholders’ meeting chaired by Gbajabiamila to assess the country’s preparedness level and fashion strategies to prevent the disease from entering Nigeria.
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, the Lagos State Government and other agencies involved in border and health security.
As part of the measures, the President directed states with international airports and border corridors, alongside relevant government agencies, to submit their preparedness plans, funding requirements and intervention proposals for coordinated implementation.
Among the steps approved are intensified passenger screening at international airports, stricter temperature checks, crowd-control measures and closer monitoring of travellers arriving through routes considered high-risk.
The task force will also activate referral and isolation centres at the international airports in Lagos and Abuja, while similar facilities are expected to be established at other airports across the country.
Other measures include the compulsory use of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for travellers coming from or passing through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of departure halls, cargo sections, baggage handling areas and airport facilities.
The President also directed the advisory group to engage security, diplomatic and aviation authorities on possible regulations affecting flights from countries classified as affected or high-risk.
The statement added that the task force has been instructed to identify designated airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, while also examining flight scheduling arrangements that would reduce interaction between high-risk passengers and other travellers.