The Nigerian Government has reaffirmed its commitment to keeping Nigeria free of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), while strengthening the country’s capacity to emerge as a continental leader in epidemic preparedness and emergency response.
The assurance followed the inauguration of the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness at the State House in Abuja, where the Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Task Force, Femi Gbajabiamila, confirmed that Nigeria has not recorded any case of Ebola and pledged sustained efforts to preserve the country’s zero-case status.
He said the government was prioritising preventive measures and building robust systems to detect and contain any potential outbreak before it spreads.
Gbajabiamila explained that Nigeria’s preparedness strategy is anchored on lessons learnt from the successful containment of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, noting that stronger surveillance, coordination and rapid response mechanisms have since been developed.
“We inaugurated the committee today on Nigeria’s preparedness for the Ebola Virus Disease. We have covered a lot of ground, and presently there is no reported case in the country, which is good news. That is why all hands must be on deck to ensure that preventive measures are prioritised rather than curative measures.
“We do not want a repeat of what happened during the last outbreak when a carrier entered the country and everyone was scrambling to respond. Today, we have covered a lot of ground and established structures to address any potential threat.
“We have set up sub-committees to address key areas of concern, and hopefully Nigeria will take the lead among African nations. We will not follow; we will lead,” he said.
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According to him, the Federal Government is working closely with state governments, particularly those hosting international airports, including Lagos, Rivers and Enugu States, to strengthen surveillance and ensure prompt response to any suspected cases.
He added that land border surveillance has also been prioritised because of the high volume of cross-border movements, with agencies responsible for immigration, border management and local border communities fully integrated into the preparedness framework.
“This time around, there is strong collaboration between the states and the Federal Government. At the meeting, we had representatives from Rivers, Enugu, Lagos and virtually all states with international airports.
“There is also significant emphasis on land borders because of the high volume of cross-border movements. The Border Management Agency, Immigration Service and border communities are all involved. We have learnt valuable lessons from the 2014 outbreak and are building on those gains by putting structures in place to eliminate any gaps in our preparedness.”
Gbajabiamila said the government’s immediate goal is to sustain Nigeria’s current Ebola-free status while ensuring that response systems remain capable of containing any future outbreak without delay.
“What we want is to maintain the zero-case status we currently enjoy. However, if we are unfortunate enough to record one or two cases, we must be able to move quickly because the necessary structures and systems are already in place,” he said.
He stressed that the government is establishing permanent institutional frameworks that will remain operational beyond the current threat, ensuring that future outbreaks can be tackled without having to create emergency response structures from scratch.
“We want to put in place permanent arrangements and structures so that in two or three years, if another outbreak occurs, we will not be running from pillar to post trying to establish response mechanisms.
“Those structures should already be in place, and all we would need at that point would be additional support where necessary. That is exactly what we are doing.”
The Chief of Staff said the Presidential Task Force is designed to institutionalise sustainable preparedness systems capable of responding effectively to future public health emergencies.
He disclosed that the task force comprises specialised committees on border management, immigration control and disease surveillance, while the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) provides overall technical coordination and leadership.
The inauguration was attended by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Olubunmi Kuku; the World Health Organization Representative and Head of Mission in Nigeria, Dr Pavel Ursu; and the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Jide Idris.
