Nigeria Targets Zero Ebola Cases, Leads Africa Preparedness

The Nigerian Government says it is committed to maintaining its current zero-case status for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) while positioning the country to play a leading role among African nations in epidemic preparedness and response.

Speaking after the inauguration of the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness, the Chairman of the Committee and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, assured Nigerians at the State House, Abuja, that there is currently no reported case of Ebola in the country.

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He said the government was intensifying preventive measures to ensure the situation remains unchanged.

Gbajabiamila stressed that Nigeria’s strategy is focused on prevention rather than cure, noting that lessons learnt from previous outbreaks, particularly the 2014 Ebola episode, have informed the development of stronger surveillance and response mechanisms.

“We inaugurated the committee today on Nigeria’s preparedness for the Ebola Virus Disease. We have covered a lot of ground, and presently there is no reported case in the country, which is good news. That is why all hands must be on deck to ensure that preventive measures are prioritised rather than curative measures.

“We do not want a repeat of what happened during the last outbreak when a carrier entered the country and everyone was scrambling to respond. Today, we have covered a lot of ground and established structures to address any potential threat.

“We have set up sub-committees to address key areas of concern, and hopefully Nigeria will take the lead among African nations. We will not follow; we will lead,” he said.

Stronger Collaboration

Expressing confidence in Nigeria’s capacity to spearhead Africa’s efforts in tackling Ebola and other emerging public health threats, Gbajabiamila said there is now stronger collaboration between the Nigerian Government and states with international airports, including Lagos, Rivers and Enugu States, to ensure effective monitoring and rapid response.

“This time around, there is strong collaboration between the states and the Federal Government. At the meeting, we had representatives from Rivers, Enugu, Lagos and virtually all states with international airports.

“There is also significant emphasis on land borders because of the high volume of cross-border movements. The Border Management Agency, Immigration Service and border communities are all involved. We have learnt valuable lessons from the 2014 outbreak and are building on those gains by putting structures in place to eliminate any gaps in our preparedness,” Gbajabiamila explained.

Government’s Objective

The Chief of Staff said the government’s objective is to sustain the country’s current zero-case status while ensuring the capacity for rapid response in the event of any outbreak.

“What we want is to maintain the zero-case status we currently enjoy. However, if we are unfortunate enough to record one or two cases, we must be able to move quickly because the necessary structures and systems are already in place,” he said.

Gbajabiamila further highlighted the importance of securing Nigeria’s land borders due to significant cross-border movements.

He noted that relevant agencies, including immigration authorities, border management institutions and border communities, are actively involved in the preparedness framework.

He explained that the government is establishing permanent structures to prevent future outbreaks from catching the country unprepared.

According to him, “We want to put in place permanent arrangements and structures so that in two or three years, if another outbreak occurs, we will not be running from pillar to post trying to establish response mechanisms.

“Those structures should already be in place, and all we would need at that point would be additional support where necessary. That is exactly what we are doing.”

Gbajabiamila said the objective of the Presidential Task Force is to institutionalise preparedness systems that will remain functional beyond the current threat, ensuring Nigeria remains ready to respond effectively to any future public health emergency.

He added that the task force comprises committees on border management, immigration control and disease surveillance, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) providing overall technical leadership and coordination.

Also speaking, Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, said the centre had strengthened surveillance systems at major points of entry across the country, particularly airports.

Zero Record

He confirmed that Nigeria currently has no recorded case of Ebola but stressed that preparedness remained critical given recent developments in parts of Africa.

“The focus is to be prepared. We don’t have any Ebola case here now, but we need to be prepared. We need to ensure that we don’t get that Ebola virus here.

“However, just in case one slips in, we want to be prepared nationally to identify and deal with the case,” Idris said.

Present at the inauguration were the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Jide Idris; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku; and WHO Representative/ Head of Mission in Nigeria, Dr Pavel Ursu.

Others include Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), State House Medical Centre, Dr Victoria Ogala; Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi; Mandate Secretary, Health Services & Environment Secretariat, FCT, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe; Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Vincent Wachukwu; Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu; the Director of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Charles Nzelu; and Deputy Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gwendy Omije.

Also in attendance were the Managing Director of Ameyo Stella Adadevoh (DRASA) Health Trust, Niniola Williams and Dr Ismail Abdulsalam, a renowned epidemiologist.