President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and ordered the immediate release of N10 billion in emergency funding, as Ebola continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The announcement, made via a State House press release on Tuesday, followed a stakeholder meeting convened by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila to assess Nigeria's preparedness and develop strategies against a possible importation of the virus.
Gbajabiamila will chair the new task force, with membership drawn from relevant federal ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as state representatives.
The N10 billion will go toward strengthening the operational capacity of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and funding critical public health emergency response activities nationwide.
Among the immediate measures approved by the President: intensified passenger screening at all international airports, including enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols; closer monitoring of passengers arriving on flights from Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines; and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
Passengers travelling from or transiting through designated high-risk countries will also be required to complete a QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration.
Airport departure halls, cargo areas, baggage handling zones, and general airport facilities are to be disinfected as a precautionary environmental measure.
The task force has also been directed to designate specific airports or terminals for flights from high-risk countries to enable controlled screening and isolation, and to consider adjusting flight schedules to limit contact between high-risk passengers and the general travelling public.
On the diplomatic and aviation front, the President mandated the task force to consult with security, diplomatic, and aviation bodies on the possibility of regulating or restricting flights from affected countries.
All states hosting international airports and border corridors, as well as relevant federal agencies, have been directed to submit their preparedness plans, funding requirements, and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.
Nigeria has a difficult history with Ebola. In 2014, the country successfully contained an outbreak that entered through Lagos, an effort widely credited to the late Dr. Stella Adadevoh, swift government response, and contact tracing.
The current measures signal that Abuja is not waiting for a confirmed case before acting.
Comments
Add a comment