Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate release of N10bn in emergency intervention funding and established a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness following the worsening outbreak in parts of Africa.
According to a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the newly constituted task force will be chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila and will include representatives from key ministries, departments, agencies and state governments.
The outbreak, which has spread across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, has reportedly killed hundreds of people, prompting the World Health Organization to declare it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
N10bn approved for Ebola preparedness
Mr Onanuga stated that the approved N10bn funding would strengthen the operational readiness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and support emergency public health response activities nationwide.
The Presidential Task Force was constituted after a high-level stakeholder meeting convened by Mr Gbajabiamila to assess Nigeria’s preparedness against the outbreak.
The meeting reportedly included officials 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.
Tinubu orders tightened Airport screening
President Tinubu also directed the immediate intensification of passenger screening procedures at international airports across Nigeria.
According to the statement, the measures include enhanced temperature checks, crowd-control protocols and stricter monitoring of passengers arriving from high-risk routes.
Airlines specifically listed for enhanced monitoring include Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines due to their direct or connecting routes from affected regions.
The President additionally ordered the activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with similar measures expected to extend to other airports nationwide.
Mandatory QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems are also to be activated for passengers travelling from or transiting through designated high-risk countries.
Additional safety measures introduced
The Federal Government also directed the disinfection of airport departure halls, cargo sections, baggage areas and other airport facilities as precautionary measures.
The task force was further instructed to consider designating specific terminals or airports for high-risk flights to improve screening and isolation procedures.
President Tinubu also mandated consultations with aviation, diplomatic and security agencies on the possibility of regulating flights from affected countries.
States hosting international airports and border corridors were directed to submit their emergency preparedness plans, funding requests and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.
Growing Ebola concerns across Africa
The current outbreak is reportedly linked to the Bundibugyo virus strain of Ebola, first confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri Province on 15 May 2026, before spreading into Uganda.
According to health authorities, there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, although early supportive care can significantly improve survival chances.
By 7 June, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reportedly recorded over 500 confirmed cases and dozens of deaths linked to the outbreak.
Nigeria previously battled Ebola during the 2014 West African outbreak after infected Liberian-American diplomat Patrick Sawyer arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, leading to 20 confirmed cases and eight deaths.
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