Ebola: Why FG placed 46 contacts on no-fly list – Official

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has directed aviation authorities to place 46 persons who had contact with the Ebola-infected person on a no-fly list for 21 days to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reportedly confirmed an Ebola case earlier this week in a woman who recently travelled to Abuja from Uganda.

The woman is said to be in isolation and receiving treatment, while health authorities have identified her contacts and commenced follow-up measures.

In an update, Thursday, Keyamo also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), to heighten Ebola response and surveillance protocols across all international airports.

He instructed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), to immediately inform all local and international airlines about the development.

The minister disclosed this on X, formerly Twitter, after holding a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate.

The minister stated: “This evening, I held a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate over the Ebola scourge.

“He shared with me a list of 44 persons with whom the affected person came in contact at the hospital when she had developed the symptoms and an additional two persons who are her domestic staff.

“Whilst efforts are ongoing to isolate them for now until there is certainty they had not been infected with the virus, the aviation authorities are required to put them on a no-fly list for at least 21 days (which is the period that the symptoms are normally expected to manifest).

“I have therefore directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to immediately inform all local and international airlines of this development.

“I have also directed FAAN to heighten Ebola response and surveillance protocols across all international airports. Measures already being implemented by FAAN include enhanced health screenings, temperature checks, travel history tracking, digital health declarations, and strict inter-agency coordination with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, following regional outbreak alerts earlier,” the minister further directed.

…Public enlightenment

Similarly, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has directed agencies under his ministry to intensify public enlightenment on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

The directive was issued to the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON) and News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Rabiu Ibrahim, disclosed this in a statement issued Thursday in Abuja.

According to the statement, Idris directed the agencies to work with relevant health authorities to ensure that Nigerians receive accurate, timely and evidence-based information about the disease.

“The Federal Government is taking every necessary step to contain this case and protect Nigerians. Accurate and timely information is one of our strongest defences.

“Our agencies must reach every community, in every language, with clear facts on how Ebola spreads, how to protect ourselves and where to report suspected cases,” he said.

The minister directed the agencies to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the NCDC to ensure that public enlightenment campaigns are guided by verified information and established health advice.

He specifically tasked the NOA with deploying its nationwide network of offices for grassroots sensitisation.

The agency is expected to work with traditional and religious leaders, community groups and the media to ensure that accurate information reaches people at the community level.

Idris also urged Nigerians to remain calm, rely on official sources and refrain from circulating unverified reports and claims on social media.

Members of the public were advised to report suspected cases through the NCDC’s toll-free, 24-hour emergency line on 6232.

…APC-PCC to Atiku on N10bn Ebola fund

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) has replied former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying the N10 billion President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved for the Ebola emergency in June 2026 remains untouched.

The Campaign Council added that the NCDC, FAAN, and other agencies involved in surveillance have been spending other available resources.

A statement credited to the former vice president on the latest public health issue questioned how the Presidential Task Force spent the N10 billion approved for the emergency.

But responding through a statement signed by the campaign spokesperson, Dele Alake, Thursday in Abuja, the APC-PCC said the agencies deserved applause for mounting a robust surveillance at entry points to avert Ebola spread whenever it lands on our shores.

He said: “On accountability, the Atiku camp should note that the N10 billion the President approved for the Ebola emergency in June remains untouched, as the NCDC, FAAN, and other agencies involved in surveillance have been spending other available resources.

“The agencies deserve applause for mounting a robust surveillance at entry points to avert Ebola spread whenever it lands on our shores.

“This surveillance network tipped off the government about the index case and led to contact tracing of the patient’s 44 contacts.

“A responsible opposition will applaud the Task Force for being responsive. But the Atiku camp always goes for cheap shots at the government.”

“Vice President Atiku cannot make such a serious allegation without verifiable evidence, especially in the thick of electioneering. In any way, the press conference did not raise this issue, except to appeal to the public to comply with the Task Force’s announced protocol.

“We advise Atiku Abubakar and his hirelings to politicising public health issues. A time like this demands that all Nigerians, including the opposition, rally around the health authorities and professionals, communicate responsibly, avoid rumour-mongering, and follow the protocols advised by the Task Force to ensure Ebola does not become a national epidemic,” it added.

The statement added: “We believe linking and rhyming President Bola Tinubu’s name to Ebola only risks turning a serious health concern into a vehicle to ridicule the President of the Federal Republic.

“The statement showed patent ignorance about the virus and why the traveller from Uganda was not detected on arrival at the Abuja airport.

“For anyone infected with the virus, the incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days, with symptoms typically appearing 8 to 10 days after exposure. An infected person cannot spread or transmit Ebola to others until they actively develop symptoms.

“This is why it took the infected Nigerian some days before reporting to the hospital, where several tests showed that the person had Ebola.