In an effort to bolster Nigeria’s preparedness against Ebola and other public health threats, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a N10 billion emergency fund and constituted a Presidential Task Force to coordinate response efforts.
The fund is to strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergencies.
A statement by the Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday made known that the 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.
Onanuga further disclosed that the 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.
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.
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;
- Immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
- Mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries.
- Disinfection of departure halls, cargo, baggage areas, and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.
The President mandated that the advisory group consult with security and aviation bodies to regulate flights from affected and designated high-risk countries.
The Task Force is further directed to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight timings to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and others.
