The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Jide Idris, has dismissed concerns that the Ebola outbreak could be exploited for political purposes, saying public health issues should not be turned into political tools.
Idris gave the assurance on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, amid growing attention to Nigeria’s response to the outbreak and questions about its possible implications for the 2027 general elections.
“We in the health sector will not use disease issues as a political weapon,” he said.
“When it came, when it came, it came and we were not even sure whether it would be out of the budget…..so no government will use Ebola as a political weapon,” Idris added.
The NCDC chief was also asked whether the outbreak could lead to the postponement of the election. He said he hoped such a measure would not be necessary, explaining that the decision would depend on the scale of the outbreak and was beyond his authority.
“That is not my decision, we hope not because if the thing gets wide enough. As at now there is no need for that,” he said.
Nigeria’s preparedness has come under attention following the confirmation of a case linked to the current outbreak in Abuja on October 20. Health authorities identified 53 contacts for monitoring as part of efforts to limit the potential spread of the virus.
The confirmed patient was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland on Monday, according to the report, while contact tracing and surveillance efforts continued.
Explaining the country’s preparations, Idris said the NCDC had been monitoring developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), where the outbreak began, and had anticipated the possibility of the virus reaching Nigeria through international travel and population movement.
He said the agency had committed resources to preparedness measures because of the risk of an imported case.
“But again you know this Ebola started in DR Congo a couple of months ago and we were tracking and they said we need to track again, that there is a possibility for many reasons that it can get here. A population movement, flight into this country and that side again, we spent funds on it,” Idris said.
The outbreak in DR Congo has prompted heightened international concern, with health authorities and global partners working to contain infections and prevent further cross-border transmission.
Against this backdrop, Idris urged Nigerians to maintain good personal hygiene, particularly regular handwashing, as part of efforts to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
“Most of these infections, handwashing alone can reduce the incidence by almost 40%,” he said.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also highlighted the importance of handwashing, noting that handwashing education can reduce diarrhoeal illnesses by 23 to 40 per cent and respiratory illnesses by 16 to 21 per cent.
Idris’s comments underscore the need to keep Nigeria’s response focused on public health preparedness, surveillance and prevention as authorities monitor the situation.