Abuja: A public health expert has urged the Federal Government to ensure that the N10 billion approved for Ebola preparedness is directed at critical gaps in Nigeria’s disease response system. The Senior Partnership Manager at Nigeria Health Watch, Emeka Oguanuo, emphasized this point during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, as he assessed Nigeria’s readiness for a potential Ebola outbreak.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Oguanuo highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the intervention fund and the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness elevate health security to a national priority. He noted, “President Tinubu’s approval of N10 billion and the creation of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness are politically and operationally important. They elevate Nigeria’s readiness from a technical public health issue to a whole-of-government priority. As we saw during COVID-19, response moves faster when bureaucracies are reduced, especially in the most critical stages of response.”
Oguanuo, however, cautioned that the true value of the intervention would depend on whether the resources translated into measurable outcomes. He stressed that funding should target the weakest links in the country’s preparedness chain instead of being distributed without considering risk levels. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has already categorized states based on their risk exposure, and Oguanuo suggested that funding allocation should align with those risk assessments to maximize impact.
He further identified surveillance at points of entry as one of the immediate priorities needing attention. Additionally, he called for increased laboratory capacity and faster turnaround times for testing suspected cases. Other priorities include strengthening health facilities for triage, isolation, and referral services, as well as ensuring frontline health workers have adequate protection and training to effectively respond to any outbreak.
Oguanuo also emphasized the importance of risk communication and community engagement in preventing panic and misinformation. He stressed that public accountability mechanisms must accompany the intervention to ensure transparency, recommending time-bound deliverables and expenditure tracking systems that citizens could easily monitor.
He concluded by asserting that investments in preparedness should focus on building resilient systems capable of preventing, detecting, and responding to public health emergencies. Effective preparedness, he noted, remains one of the most cost-effective approaches to protecting lives and safeguarding national health security.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that on June 8, President Tinubu approved the establishment of the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats. He also ordered the immediate release of N10 billion for emergency preparedness to strengthen the operational readiness of the NCDC and support critical national public health emergency response activities.