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Fear of Ebola infection made Senators Wednesday rejected call for visitation to entry points by relevant committees of the Senate as requested for, in a motion sponsored by Senator Dayo Faduyile (Ondo South).
This is as Senate on the strength of the motion titled : ” Urgent Need to Enforce Mandatory Health Screening at all International Airports and other Entry Points to Prevent the Importation of Ebola and other Epidemic Prone Diseases into Nigeria ” , urged the Federal Government to release emergency fund from the service wide vote , to combat the deadly virus.
Being motion on a deadly virus, the Senate gave room for extensive debate on it by Senators , adopted all prayers sought, but rejected the one requesting members of relevant committees to liaise with relevant agencies to visit principal entry points and report back within four weeks.
The motion reads, “Mandate the Committees on Health , Primary Health Care, Development and Disease Control, Aviation, Interior and Appropriations to liaise with the relevant agencies, visit the principal entry points and report back within four weeks for further legislative actions.”
Apparently avoiding to have anything to do physically with Ebola related virus, when the prayer was put to voice votes by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, all the Senators shouted nay.
In his lead debate on the motion, Senator Faduyile said the outbreak, which originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, had reportedly spread to other African countries, including Uganda and Kenya, increasing concerns that infected travellers could enter Nigeria through transit countries.
He also cited an assessment by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), which reportedly identified a high risk of Ebola being imported into Nigeria.
He recalled the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, when an infected traveller introduced the virus into Lagos, stressing the importance of strengthening preventive measures at the country’s points of entry.
Although the Senate acknowledged existing government interventions, including health declaration forms and increased surveillance, lawmakers expressed concern that screening was largely limited to travellers arriving from selected countries.
According to the Senate, this approach could create gaps in disease surveillance and expose the country to avoidable public health risks.
The lawmakers also raised concerns about shortages of trained personnel and essential screening equipment at some entry points. They noted that Port Health Services continues to operate under the Quarantine Act of 1926, which they said requires modernisation to address current public health challenges.
The Senate further warned that Nigeria’s existing health threats, including Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria, made stronger preparedness measures necessary.
Consequently, the Senate called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the NCDC and Port Health Services to ensure that all international passengers arriving in Nigeria undergo mandatory health screening, irrespective of nationality or country of departure.
The proposed screening measures include completing health declaration forms, temperature checks and assessments for symptoms associated with infectious diseases.
It also recommended enhanced monitoring of travellers who had visited or transited through affected areas within the preceding 21 days.
The Senate further called for departure screening for passengers leaving Nigeria whenever a public health emergency has been declared.
To improve preparedness, the Senate urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigeria Immigration Service to ensure that entry points have enough trained Port Health officers, thermal scanners, protective equipment and isolation facilities.
It also called on the Federal Government to ensure that isolation and treatment centres across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory are adequately equipped to respond to potential outbreaks.
On legislative reforms, the Senate advocated replacing the Quarantine Act of 1926 with updated public health legislation aligned with the International Health Regulations of 2005.
The lawmakers also urged the ministries responsible for finance, budget and economic planning to provide adequate funding for the NCDC and Port Health Services in the 2027 budget.
They further called for the release of outstanding funds to enable the agencies to strengthen disease surveillance and improve Nigeria’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies.
The proposed measures form part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness against imported infectious diseases.
The Senate’s resolutions are calls for government action and should not, by themselves, be interpreted as confirmation that every recommended screening measure has already been implemented.
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