A Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness has been constituted by President Bola Tinubu, who has also authorized the immediate release of N10 billion in emergency intervention funds. This comes after the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern due to the quickly spreading outbreak that has already claimed at least 349 lives in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, will serve as the task force's chairman, according to a statement from Bayo Onanuga, Special Advisor to the President on Information and Strategy. State representatives and representatives from relevant ministries, departments, and agencies will comprise the task force's membership.
According to Onanuga, the N10 billion will assist vital national public health emergency response initiatives and improve the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention's operational readiness.
After Gbajabiamila called a stakeholder meeting to assess Nigeria's readiness, the task group was established.
Representatives from the Lagos State Government, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigerian Immigration Service, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and the Ministry of Interior were among those present.
Tinubu ordered the "intensification of passenger screening at all international airports, including enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols," according to Onanuga.
Additionally, increased surveillance of travelers coming on high-risk airline routes, such as those operated by Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, RwandAir, Air Uganda, Air Tanzania, and Air Angola, all of which have direct or connecting flights from the impacted area.
He mandated the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for travelers coming from or passing through designated high-risk countries, as well as the immediate activation of referral and isolation centers at Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
As a preventive environmental measure, the President also ordered the decontamination of airport buildings, cargo areas, baggage sections, and departure halls.
In order to facilitate regulated screening and isolation processes, Tinubu instructed the task force to designate particular airports or terminals for high-risk aircraft.
Additionally, think about modifying flight schedules to reduce the amount of time that high-risk passengers spend interacting with other travelers. He ordered the panel to discuss the idea of restricting flights from impacted and high-risk nations with security, diplomatic, and aviation organizations.
The President ordered all states that host international airports and international border corridors, along with pertinent MDAs, to submit their plans, financing needs, and intervention requirements for coordinated implementation right now.
The current outbreak, which is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola, was first identified on May 15, 2026, in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After a case was verified in Kampala, the outbreak quickly spread to Uganda.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control reported 283 people in isolation, 515 confirmed cases, and 91 confirmed deaths as of June 7.
By May 29, there were 349 fatalities and 1,037 suspected cases overall.
Although early supportive treatment has been demonstrated to be life-saving, there is no approved vaccine or specific therapeutic medication against the Bundibugyo virus, in contrast to previously recognized Ebola strains.
Prior Bundibugyo outbreaks had case fatality rates ranging from 30 to 50%.
Following the arrival of a Liberian-American diplomat named Patrick Sawyer at Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport in 2014, Nigeria reported 20 confirmed cases and eight fatalities during the West African Ebola outbreak.
