President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the the immediate release of N10 billion as emergency Ebola intervention funding as a new strain of the disease continues to spread in Congo and Uganda.
He also approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats.
According to a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, the fund will strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities while the Presidential Task Force on Ebola will be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and State representatives.
The President’s approval followed a stakeholder meeting convened under the chairmanship of the Chief of Staff to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against the possible importation of Ebola into Nigeria.
Proposed Preventive Measures
President Tinubu also directed all States hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.
Additional measures to be put in place by the Task Force are: Intensification of passenger screening at all international airports, including enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols; Enhanced monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines; and Immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
Others include: Mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, and disinfection of departure halls, cargoes, baggage areas, and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.
