President Tinubu
Susan Abayomi
President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats, and ordered the immediate release of N10 billion as emergency intervention funding. The directive, announced Tuesday, June 9, 2026, is Nigeria’s first major response to a rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa that has killed at least 349 people across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with the WHO declaring it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The N10 billion fund is meant to strengthen the operational preparedness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities. It will finance surveillance, laboratory upgrades, risk communication, and deployment of rapid response teams. The Presidential Task Force will be chaired by Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, with members drawn from relevant ministries, departments and agencies, plus state representatives.
Tinubu’s approval followed a high-level stakeholder meeting convened by Gbajabiamila to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against possible importation of the virus. Attendees included the Ministry of Interior, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the Lagos State Government. The President directed all states hosting international airports and border corridors, plus relevant MDAs, to submit plans, funding needs, and intervention requirements for coordinated implementation.
Immediate measures include intensified passenger screening at all international airports, with enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols. The Task Force will enhance monitoring of passengers arriving on high-risk routes, specifically Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines, all carriers with direct or connecting services from the affected region. Referral and isolation centres at Lagos and Abuja international airports are to be activated immediately, with other airports to follow.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain and has evolved with rising case numbers and cross-border transmission into Uganda. As of June 6, 2026, the DRC had reported 515 confirmed cases and 91 deaths, while Uganda recorded 19 confirmed cases, two deaths, and one fatal probable case linked to transmission from the DRC. The WHO and partners have launched a joint continental plan seeking $518 million to help African nations prepare for and contain the outbreak.
Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Ojukwu and Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said the funding reinforces Nigeria’s health security systems and rapid response capacity. The Task Force will also consult security, diplomatic, and aviation bodies to regulate flights from designated high-risk countries. With Ebola resurfacing in DRC and Uganda, Nigeria is moving to prevent a repeat of the 2014 outbreak by tightening borders, scaling NCDC readiness, and coordinating state-level plans before any case is detected.
