By Joy Yesufu
The ₦10 billion emergency fund approved by President Bola Tinubu will support Nigeria’s response to Ebola and other endemic diseases, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, has said.
Idris disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television, explaining that the funding was intended to strengthen the country’s capacity to control existing diseases and prepare for emerging public health threats, rather than address Ebola alone.
“No, on the money, it’s good for people to understand why. This money was requested not only for Ebola but to address issues of control of other endemic diseases,” he said.
The NCDC chief cited Lassa fever as one of the diseases that could require attention, noting that Nigeria faces multiple public health threats that demand sustained surveillance, diagnostic capacity and control measures.
“Right now, Lassa fever season is coming. Lassa fever and Ebola are the same class of viruses, just like yellow fever and dengue fever. We have all diseases ongoing in this country,” Idris said.
However, Lassa fever and Ebola belong to different virus families, although both are viral haemorrhagic diseases. Lassa virus belongs to the Arenaviridae family, while Ebola viruses belong to the Filoviridae family.
Idris said the NCDC had activated control measures, surveillance, diagnostic testing and screening at points of entry as part of efforts to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
He said the request for emergency funding had been submitted to the President and approved, adding that the resources would support broader public health preparedness and response activities.
The NCDC director-general also rejected suggestions that health emergencies were being used for political purposes.
“I don’t want to use the wrong word again. That is totally false. We in the health sector will not use disease issues as a political weapon,” he said.
Asked whether the Ebola outbreak could lead to the postponement of the general election, Idris said the decision was not his to make.
Meanwhile, aviation authorities have introduced restrictions on air travel for people identified as contacts of the confirmed Ebola patient as part of efforts to prevent further transmission.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced on October 22 that 46 contacts had been placed on a 21-day no-fly list. Subsequent NCDC updates reported 53 contacts on October 25 and 54 on October 26, as contact-tracing efforts continued.
The Federal Government had announced the ₦10 billion emergency intervention fund in June 2026 to strengthen the NCDC’s operational preparedness and support responses to Ebola and other emerging public health threats.
