The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, has said the N10 billion emergency intervention fund approved by President Bola Tinubu is meant to strengthen Nigeria’s response to multiple epidemic-prone diseases, not Ebola Virus Disease alone.
Idris made the clarification amid public debate over the allocation, explaining that the funding would support disease prevention, preparedness, early detection and rapid response to public health threats.
He listed the diseases covered by the intervention to include Lassa fever, cholera, cerebrospinal meningitis, diphtheria, measles, mpox and antimicrobial resistance.
The NCDC boss also clarified that the money was released directly to the agency and not to the Presidential Task Force on Ebola, contrary to some reports.
However, he did not disclose when the fund was eventually released.
This followed his earlier statement at a press conference on October 25, 2026, that the N10 billion had not yet been received by the agency.
Idris said the intervention was inadequate compared with the country’s broader health security funding needs.
He disclosed that implementing Nigeria’s National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS 2.0), covering 2025 to 2029, would require approximately N522 billion over five years.
“This translates to an average annual requirement of N104.4 billion, meaning the N10 billion intervention represents only about two per cent of the plan’s average yearly cost,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria, with a population of more than 240 million, requires sustained funding from the Federal Government, state governments and development partners to protect citizens against epidemic threats.
NCDC outlines health security funding
Idris said the NCDC’s government allocation increased from N4 billion in 2024 to N7 billion in 2025.
The agency also received a N5 billion intervention fund that year, while the 2026 Appropriation provides N22 billion.
He added that Tinubu approved the additional N10 billion emergency intervention in June 2026 following the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
However, he stressed that the request covered all epidemic-prone diseases and was not limited to Ebola.
“In June 2026, as the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo became a global emergency, Mr President graciously approved a further N10 billion in emergency intervention funding.
That fund was requested for all our epidemic-prone diseases, not Ebola alone,” he said.
Idris cited estimates by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, which suggest that countries need between $1 and $2 per person annually to achieve an acceptable level of epidemic preparedness.
For Nigeria’s estimated population of 240 million, he said this would translate to between $240 million and $480 million annually.
He warned that inadequate investment in health security could leave the country vulnerable to disease outbreaks, loss of lives and economic disruption.
No active Ebola case in Nigeria – NCDC
On the Ebola situation, Idris said Nigeria had confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease, with laboratory confirmation made on October 20, 2026, less than 24 hours after the alert was received in Abuja.
He, however, assured Nigerians that there was no active case in the country as of the time of his statement.
According to him, identified contacts were under daily surveillance, which would continue until the last person completes the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms or any new case emerging.
The NCDC director-general also dismissed calls for election postponement, travel restrictions or a blanket ban on mass gatherings, saying the prevailing situation did not justify such measures.
He said the agency had instead developed technical guidelines for organisers of mass gatherings, adding that public events could proceed safely if infection prevention and control measures were followed.
Idris urged Nigerians to avoid spreading unverified information, warning that misinformation and the politicisation of public health emergencies could undermine public confidence and weaken response efforts.
Post Views: 46
