Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats has reassured Nigerians of the country’s readiness and capacity to effectively contain Ebola; citing strengthened public health surveillance, emergency response mechanisms and containment measures.
The Chairman of the Task Force and Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, said this while speaking to journalists after the group’s emergency meeting at the State House.
Gbajabiamila said the Task Force has been working behind the scenes since it was inaugurated in June this year.
He stressed that this is why it was easy to detect the index case discovered yesterday.
“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.
“The passenger with the disease showed no symptoms, which came four days after the woman got into Abuja, and it was the identification process and the protocols that were put in place that enabled the quick identification. That also speaks to the country’s capacity and ability to deal with this disease as best as we can,” he said.
He assured Nigerians that the Task Force would strengthen whatever needed strengthening, the protocols, and ensure more rigorous enforcement moving forward.
“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.
He appealed to all Nigerians to respond to calls for compliance for the good of all.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, said in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga that Nigeria has competent health authorities, including private hospital operators and agencies, Immigration, Aviation, Interior, and subnational actors, who have put surveillance systems in place across the country, ready to respond.
“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.
“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 added.
Other members of the committee at the meeting were the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap; Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Bunmi Kuku; General Manager (FAAN), Adamu Adamu; WHO Representative, Pavel Ursu; Special Regional Representative to the Director General, Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Aliko Ahmed.
Others include the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations and the Secretary of the Task Force, Oyinade Nathan-Marsh; Public Health Executive, Niniola Williams; Mandate Secretary for Health and Environment, FCT, Dr Dolapo Fasawe; and Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (State House Medical Centre), Dr Victoria Ogala.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olajumoke Oduwole; Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Professor Akin Abayomi; and Director of Operations, Licensing and Training Standards (DOLTS), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Captain Donald Spiff, also joined the meeting via Zoom.
