The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that the country has the capacity to contain the Ebola outbreak, citing strengthened surveillance systems, activated hospital response mechanisms and the experience gained from managing the virus in 2014.
The government gave the assurance following an emergency meeting of the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness, Viral Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats at the State House.
The task force chairman and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the committee had been working behind the scenes since its inauguration in June to strengthen the country’s preparedness for emerging public health threats.
According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Gbajabiamila said the preparedness measures helped authorities quickly identify the index case, despite the infected passenger initially showing no symptoms.
“The passenger with the disease showed no symptoms, which came four days after the woman got into Abuja, and it was the identification process and the protocols that were put in place that enabled the quick identification. That also speaks to the country’s capacity and ability to deal with this disease as best as we can,” he said.
Gbajabiamila said the task force would review existing arrangements, strengthen areas requiring improvement and ensure stricter enforcement of public health protocols.
He urged Nigerians to cooperate with health authorities and comply with official directives, stressing that public cooperation was essential to containing the virus and protecting lives.
Also speaking, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said Nigeria had competent health professionals and relevant government agencies working together to prevent the disease from spreading.
He listed health authorities, private hospital operators, immigration and aviation agencies, the Ministry of Interior and subnational governments among the stakeholders involved in surveillance and emergency response efforts.
“They are working day and night diligently, and our hospital capabilities are also activated, such that we can aim to contain this case, as has been the case in other countries, but we will not relent. Our population should respect public health directives,” Pate said.
The minister added that most states had response plans in place and that the government was mobilising available resources and personnel to strengthen the national response.
He expressed confidence that sustained coordination and adherence to public health measures would help limit the outbreak, while warning citizens against spreading misinformation.
Pate also recalled the experience of Nigerian public health experts during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, when the country successfully contained the disease after it entered Lagos through an infected traveller.
“In addition to our exceptional public health physicians who had successfully tamed this virus in 2014, and had contributed to other countries, we are confident that if we continue in this direction, we will emerge out of this crisis in a much stronger place,” he said.
Nigeria’s experience in 2014 remains an important reference point in the country’s Ebola preparedness efforts, highlighting the importance of early detection, contact tracing, effective coordination and public cooperation in preventing wider transmission.
The latest assurance comes as the government seeks to strengthen public confidence and encourage compliance with health measures. Authorities have urged Nigerians to rely on verified information and follow guidance from relevant health agencies as efforts to contain the outbreak continue.