The Lagos State Government has stepped up surveillance and emergency preparedness measures at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) to prevent the importation of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) into Nigeria following renewed outbreaks in parts of East and Central Africa.
Leading a preparedness inspection and facility assessment at the airport, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, described MMIA as Nigeria's most vulnerable entry point for imported infectious diseases, noting that it handles about 70 per cent of international passenger traffic.
Abayomi said the state was strengthening systems for early detection, rapid isolation and emergency evacuation of suspected Ebola cases. He added that digital surveillance and passenger monitoring were also being enhanced, particularly for travellers arriving from countries classified as high-risk.
"Our objective is to create a bottleneck for the virus, not for passengers," he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria's successful containment of Ebola in 2014 after the virus was imported into Lagos from Liberia, Abayomi said the experience remains a critical lesson in public health preparedness.
He noted that lessons from both the Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for strong collaboration between Lagos State and federal agencies operating at the airport.
As part of the renewed measures, authorities are considering dedicated arrival processing channels for passengers arriving from designated high-risk countries, while ensuring normal airport operations are not disrupted.
The inspection brought together officials from the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, Port Health Services, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, described airport personnel as Nigeria's first line of defence against imported infectious diseases.
"The frontline actually begins here at our ports of entry," she said, stressing that health security should be treated with the same urgency as other national security concerns.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Dayo Lajide, urged frontline workers to remain vigilant and strictly adhere to infection prevention and control protocols.
Meanwhile, MMIA Airport Manager and Regional General Manager, South-West, Mr. Olatokunbo Arewa, disclosed that additional preparedness infrastructure, including touchless hand-sanitiser systems and temperature-detection equipment, had already been deployed across the airport.
He warned that any suspected Ebola case must be isolated swiftly and professionally to prevent transmission.
Also speaking, Head of Port Health Services at MMIA, Dr. Lawal Abdullahi, said the airport reviewed and updated its Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan on March 18, 2026, ahead of the latest Ebola developments in East Africa.
According to him, the Airport Public Health Emergency Management Team has been activated, while passenger screening and information-sharing mechanisms with Lagos State epidemiology teams have been strengthened.
FAAN's General Manager of Aviation Medical Services, Dr. Bilkis Ibrahim, said additional personal protective equipment, multilingual health advisories and staff training programmes were being deployed to improve preparedness.
The NCAA's Aeromedical Assessor, Dr. Abayomi Asunbo, added that airlines operating designated international routes had been directed to comply fully with public health protocols before passengers are cleared into Nigeria.
Officials from Lagos State, airport authorities and federal agencies reaffirmed their commitment to coordinated surveillance, rapid response and information sharing to protect the state and the country from Ebola and other infectious disease threats.
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