The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says the Federal Government released N10 billion to strengthen Nigeria’s broader health security system, not exclusively for Ebola preparedness, amid public debate.
The Director-General of NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, clarifying concerns surrounding the allocation amid public discussions about Nigeria’s Ebola response.
Idris explained that the funding request covered prevention, preparedness, early detection and rapid response to several public health threats, including Ebola, Lassa fever, cholera and meningitis, among other diseases.
Others include diphtheria, measles, Mpox and antimicrobial resistance, which he said had historically contributed significantly to illness and deaths across the country, placing considerable pressure on Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He clarified that the N10 billion was released directly to NCDC, not the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President.
He said that the task force was established primarily to coordinate the national response, while the allocation was intended to address wider national health security needs beyond Ebola preparedness.
Idris said the N10 billion remained inadequate, considering the scale of investment required to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond effectively to public health emergencies nationwide.
He explained that Nigeria’s National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) 2.0, covering 2025 to 2029, required approximately N522 billion for implementation over five years across multiple sectors.
The plan, he said, translated to an average annual requirement of N104.4 billion, although not all its activities were funded through NCDC or its available government allocations.
He said that the N10 billion represented about two per cent of the plan’s average annual cost, underscoring the funding gap confronting Nigeria’s health security system and preparedness efforts.
Idris said NAPHS 2.0 adopted a multisectoral, One Health approach, bringing together government ministries, departments and agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders nationwide.
He explained that the plan followed the expiration of Nigeria’s first National Action Plan for Health Security, under which inadequate funding had remained a major implementation constraint for years.
The NCDC director-general said Nigeria needed sustainable domestic and external funding to strengthen preparedness and prevent outbreaks from escalating into national emergencies, threatening lives and livelihoods across communities.
He urged policymakers, the media and development partners to support adequate and accountable investment in NCDC and the country’s wider health security system to improve emergency preparedness.
Idris said Nigeria had responded to its first imported Ebola case with vigilance and precaution, emphasising that the situation did not warrant public panic or unnecessary alarm.
He said the Bundibugyo Ebola case was confirmed in NCDC’s laboratory on Oct. 20, 2026, within 24 hours of receiving the alert in Abuja, demonstrating rapid laboratory response.
He added that all identified contacts were under daily monitoring, while Nigeria currently had no active Ebola case following the management of the imported infection and associated response measures.
However, he said surveillance would continue until the last identified contact completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms or any new case emerging during surveillance. (NAN)
Daily Trust
