The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has clarified that the 10 billion naira emergency health intervention fund approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is intended to tackle multiple infections disease threats and not solely the Ebola Virus outbreak.
Naija News reports that the agency’s Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, said the fund would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health emergencies across the country.
He explained that the intervention would support preparedness and response activities for diseases including Lassa fever, cholera, meningitis, diphtheria, measles and Mpox.
The clarification followed concerns over the purpose and allocation of the emergency funding amind heightened attention to Nigeria’s response to the Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease outbreak.
The NCDC DG confirmed that the money was released to the agency and not the Presidential Task Force on Ebola.
He, however, acknowledged that the ₦10 billion allocation was inadequate given the scale of Nigeria’s health security needs.
According to him, implementing the National Action Plan for Health Security 2025–2029 will require an estimated N522 billion over five years.
Idris called for sustained investment by federal and state governments, as well as development partners, to strengthen the country’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks.
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