The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that it has activated measures to contain the Ebola outbreak, including contact tracing, isolation of exposed persons and strengthened surveillance across the country. In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the government said the Presidential…...
The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that it has activated measures to contain the Ebola outbreak, including contact tracing, isolation of exposed persons and strengthened surveillance across the country.
In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the government said the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness, Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats had been working behind the scenes since its inauguration in June 2026.
The Chairman of the task force and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, gave the assurance on Wednesday after an emergency meeting at the State House, Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said the measures put in place by the Ministry of Health, the task force and relevant agencies helped authorities quickly identify the index case.
“It’s very important to note this. Since the issue of Ebola came up in June, there have been about 44, 000 flights in and out of Nigeria. So, it’s because of what the Ministry of Health, the task force and all the agencies have been doing. All hands have been on deck,” he said.
He explained that the infected passenger initially showed no symptoms, which developed four days after the woman arrived in Abuja, adding that established identification procedures and protocols enabled the case to be detected promptly.
“The Task Force is on top of it. NCDC is on top of it; everyone is on deck. We must build community trust and avoid panic, but it’s also important to state clearly that this is a collaborative effort between the government and the people,” Gbajabiamila said.
He assured Nigerians that the task force would strengthen existing protocols and ensure more rigorous enforcement, while appealing to citizens to comply with public health directives.
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The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Mohammed Ali Pate, said Nigeria had competent health authorities and established surveillance systems involving public and private health facilities, immigration, aviation, interior agencies and subnational authorities.
“We have been conducting contact tracing diligently and isolating those contacts of the index imported case in this country. We will continue to do that, and we want to reassure Nigerians that the federal government, alongside its technical partners, the World Health Organisation, the Africa Centre for Disease Control, and our own Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, have activated the incident management system across the various pillars,” Pate said.
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He added that health teams were working around the clock and that hospital capabilities had been activated to support containment efforts.
“They are working day and night diligently, and our hospital capabilities are also activated, such that we can aim to contain this case, as has been the case in other countries, but we will not relent. Our population should respect public health directives,” he said.
Pate said most states had adequate response plans and that the government was mobilising the necessary resources to address the outbreak.
“Most of our states have adequate response plans. We have the resources, and we’re mobilising those capabilities. And we’re also confident that if we continue on this path, we should be able to dent this outbreak,” he said.
The minister also warned against spreading false information and unverified reports that could cause unnecessary panic.
“The key also for the population is to avoid spreading misinformation or baseless rumours, which can cause unnecessary panic. The Task Force leadership has met. WHO and AfricaCDC are working closely with the team,” he said.
He expressed confidence in Nigeria’s public health professionals, noting their experience in responding to previous Ebola outbreaks and supporting other countries.
“In addition to our exceptional public health physicians who had successfully tamed this virus in 2014, and had contributed to other countries, we are confident that if we continue in this direction, we will emerge out of this crisis in a much stronger place,” Pate added.
Other members of the task force at the meeting included Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap; Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Bunmi Kuku; FAAN General Manager Adamu Adamu; World Health Organisation Representative Pavel Ursu; and Africa CDC Special Regional Representative to the Director-General, Dr Aliko Ahmed.
Also present were the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations and task force secretary, Oyinade Nathan-Marsh; Public Health Executive Niniola Williams; FCT Mandate Secretary for Health and Environment, Dr Dolapo Fasawe; and Chairman of the State House Medical Centre’s Medical Advisory Committee, Dr Victoria Ogala.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olajumoke Oduwole; Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi; and Director of Operations, Licensing and Training Standards at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Captain Donald Spiff, participated in the meeting virtually.