Tinubu Ebola preparedness fund includes N10bn emergency funding and a presidential task force to strengthen Nigeria’s outbreak readiness

President Bola Tinubu has established a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and approved the immediate release of N10 billion in emergency intervention funding as Nigeria moves to strengthen its defences against a rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak in Central Africa.

Also read: LAWMA issues urgent Ebola preparedness advisory

The development was announced on Tuesday in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, the task force will be chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila and will comprise representatives of relevant ministries, departments and agencies, as well as state government officials.

The emergency funding is expected to bolster the capacity of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and support critical national public health response activities.

The decision followed a high-level stakeholder meeting convened by Gbajabiamila to assess Nigeria’s readiness for a potential outbreak.

Representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Lagos State Government attended the meeting.

Onanuga said Tinubu directed authorities to intensify passenger screening at all international airports, including enhanced temperature checks, crowd-control measures and stricter monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk routes.

The President specifically ordered increased surveillance of travellers arriving on airlines linked directly or indirectly to affected regions, including Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.

Tinubu also approved the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the international airports in Lagos and Abuja, with similar measures to be extended to other airports nationwide.

In addition, passengers arriving from or transiting through designated high-risk countries will be required to complete QR code-based pre-arrival health declarations.

As part of broader preventive measures, the President directed the disinfection of airport departure halls, baggage handling areas, cargo sections and other facilities.

The task force was further instructed to consider designating specific terminals or airports for high-risk flights to facilitate controlled screening and isolation procedures.

It will also consult aviation, diplomatic and security agencies on the possibility of regulating flights from affected countries.

Tinubu directed all states hosting international airports and major border corridors to submit preparedness plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.

The latest measures come amid growing concern over an outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, first confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri Province on May 15 before spreading into neighbouring Uganda.

The outbreak has prompted heightened international monitoring, with the World Health Organization declaring it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

According to available data, hundreds of confirmed infections and deaths have been recorded, while hundreds more individuals remain under isolation and observation.

Health experts have warned that the Bundibugyo virus presents a particular challenge because there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment approved for the strain.

However, early detection and supportive medical care have been shown to significantly improve survival rates.

Nigeria’s response is informed by lessons from the 2014 West African Ebola epidemic, when the country successfully contained an outbreak linked to the arrival of Patrick Sawyer at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport.