By Admin
President Bola Tinubu has approved the creation of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats, alongside the immediate release of ₦10 billion in emergency intervention funds.
In a statement issued by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said the funding is aimed at strengthening the operational readiness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and supporting critical public health emergency response efforts nationwide.
The task force will be chaired by the President's Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. Its membership will comprise representatives of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as state governments.
The decision comes amid renewed concerns over Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. It followed a high level stakeholders' meeting convened by the Chief of Staff to assess Nigeria's state of preparedness and develop strategies to prevent the virus from entering the country.
Among those who attended the meeting were officials of the Federal Ministry of Interior, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the Lagos State Government.
President Tinubu also directed states that host international airports and major border corridors to submit their preparedness plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.
Measures approved by the government include intensified passenger screening at international airports, with enhanced temperature checks and crowd management protocols.
Authorities will also step up monitoring of passengers arriving on routes considered high risk, including flights operated by Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, TAAG Angola Airlines, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.
In addition, referral and isolation centres are to be activated immediately at the international airports in Lagos and Abuja, while similar arrangements will be extended to other airports across the country.
The government has further ordered the mandatory use of QR code based pre arrival health declaration systems for travellers arriving from, or transiting through, designated high risk countries.
As part of the preventive measures, airport departure halls, baggage handling areas, cargo facilities and other airport infrastructure will undergo routine disinfection.
The President also directed the task force to work closely with security, diplomatic and aviation authorities in reviewing possible flight regulations involving affected countries.
It will further consider the designation of specific airports or terminals for high risk flights to allow for more controlled screening and isolation procedures. The task force is also expected to examine flight scheduling options that could reduce contact between high risk passengers and other travellers.
The announcement represents Nigeria's most far reaching Ebola preparedness initiative since the country's successful containment of the 2014 outbreak, a response that relied heavily on an emergency operations centre and extensive contact tracing efforts
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