President Bola Tinubu has set up a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats.
The president has also approved ₦10 billion for immediate emergency readiness.
This fund will help improve the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and aid important national health emergency responses.
This information came from a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja by the presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga.
The Presidential Task Force will be led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. Members will come from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as state representatives.
This decision followed a crucial meeting held by the Chief of Staff to evaluate Nigeria’s readiness and plan against the possible entry of Ebola into the country.
The meeting included representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Lagos State Government, and other key stakeholders.
Mr Tinubu also instructed all states with international airports and border areas to submit their plans for readiness, funding needs, and support for coordinated actions.
The president approved several quick actions to enhance surveillance and response systems across Nigeria.
These actions include stricter passenger screening at all international airports with improved temperature checks and crowd control measures.
Other steps involve closer monitoring of passengers arriving from high-risk airline routes, such as Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, TAAG Angola Airlines, Kenya Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines.
The task force will also ensure that referral and isolation centres are activated immediately at the international airports in Lagos and Abuja, with plans to set up similar facilities at other airports.
A QR code-based health declaration system will be launched for passengers arriving from or transiting through high-risk countries.
Additionally, the government has approved the cleaning of departure halls, baggage areas, cargo sections, and other airport facilities as safety measures.
Mr Tinubu further asked the advisory group to work with security, diplomatic, and aviation authorities on how to manage flights from affected and high-risk countries.
The task force is expected to identify specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to ensure controlled screening, isolation, and response actions.
It will also look into changing flight schedules if needed to reduce contact between high-risk passengers and other travellers.
Mr Onanuga said these actions are part of the federal government’s proactive efforts to protect public health and boost the country’s emergency response capability against new disease threats. (NAN)
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