President Tinubu Sets Up Presidential Ebola Task Force, Releases ₦10 Billion Emergency Response Fund

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has established the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness headed by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, releasing a ₦10 billion emergency fund to strengthen national health security.

In a swift proactive response to emerging epidemiological threats and a recently detected imported index case in Abuja, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate release of ₦10 billion in emergency intervention funding to reinforce Nigeria’s health defense mechanisms.

To lead the high-level national strategy, President Tinubu has officially appointed his Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, as the Chairman of the newly inaugurated Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats.

National Mobilization & Strategic Response

The inauguration of the multi-agency task force comes alongside the activation of intensive contact tracing and containment protocols following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory.

Speaking after an emergency leadership meeting at the State House in Abuja, Task Force Chairman Femi Gbajabiamila assured citizens that public health screening and surveillance protocols at international gateways successfully enabled the rapid identification of the patient:

“It was the identification process and the protocols that were put in place that enabled the quick identification. That speaks to the country’s capacity and ability to deal with this disease as best as we can,” Gbajabiamila stated.

“Our population should respect public health directives and avoid spreading unverified rumors that cause unnecessary panic.”

Deployment of ₦10 Billion Emergency Funding

The ₦10 billion emergency allocation released by the Federal Government is structured to empower front-line healthcare agencies and state-level infrastructure:

• NCDC Operational Scaling: Direct funding support to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to expand rapid response teams, diagnostic laboratory supplies, and isolation facilities.

• Contact Tracing & Surveillance: Funding active contact tracking, mobile isolation units, and strict surveillance across all major international airports and land borders.

• State-Level Coordination: Mobilizing resources across state ministries of health, with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, confirming that exposed contacts are under quarantine and 46 individuals have been placed on a 21-day no-fly list as a precaution.

The task force is collaborating closely with international partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa CDC, to maintain rigid biological containment measures.