President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats, alongside the immediate release of N10 billion to boost public health emergencies response.
The emergency funding is aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and supporting critical national response measures to prevent a possible outbreak in the country. The decision follows renewed concerns over the resurgence of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
According to a statement issued on Monday June 8 by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President approved the measures after a high-level stakeholders’ meeting chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The newly constituted task force will be chaired by Gbajabiamila and will comprise representatives of relevant Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and state government. The task force has also been directed to work closely with security agencies, diplomatic missions and aviation authorities for operational efficiency.
The latest intervention comes as the Federal Government moves to prevent a repeat of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which Nigeria successfully contained through aggressive surveillance, contact tracing and coordinated public health action.
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