By Monsurat Abisoye
The Federal Government has inaugurated a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Preparedness as part of efforts to prevent any outbreak in Nigeria, stressing that the country will not wait for the virus to spread before taking action.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, announced the development on Thursday after inaugurating the task force at the State House in Abuja. He confirmed that Nigeria has not recorded any case of Ebola but said the government is prioritising preventive measures to ensure the country remains free of the disease.
Gbajabiamila said the initiative was informed by lessons learnt from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, noting that the government is determined to avoid a repeat of the situation where the country had to respond after the virus had already entered its borders.
He disclosed that the task force has established several subcommittees to oversee key areas, including disease surveillance, border security, immigration management and emergency response.
According to him, effective coordination between the Federal Government and states with international entry points is critical. Governors and representatives from Lagos, Rivers, Enugu and the Federal Capital Territory participated in the meeting due to their strategic roles in safeguarding international airports.
He added that the government is also placing greater emphasis on monitoring Nigeria’s land borders, warning that cross-border migration through informal routes could increase the risk of disease transmission. Agencies responsible for border control, immigration and border communities have therefore been integrated into the preparedness strategy.
Gbajabiamila said the government’s goal is to maintain Nigeria’s current zero-case status by strengthening structures and closing any gaps in emergency preparedness.
Also speaking, Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, said surveillance systems have already been reinforced at major points of entry, particularly airports, despite the absence of any confirmed Ebola case in the country.
He explained that the NCDC is upgrading existing disease surveillance and emergency response systems to improve the country’s readiness should the virus enter Nigeria.
Idris said the preparedness framework brings together the ministries of health, interior and education, alongside immigration authorities, border control agencies and state governments, to ensure a coordinated national response with clearly defined responsibilities.
He noted that the objective is to prevent Ebola from entering Nigeria and to rapidly detect, isolate and manage any case if one is recorded.
The NCDC boss added that state governments have already been mobilised to strengthen surveillance, early detection, rapid response and overall public health coordination.
The inauguration of the Presidential Task Force comes amid heightened vigilance across several African countries following renewed concerns over Ebola outbreaks in parts of the continent.