FG urged to take action to protect Nigerians against Ebola

…as country faces heightened risk of Ebola importation

Amobi Ogah, Member, representing Isiukwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, has raised alarm over Nigeria’s Ebola preparedness and demanded urgent funding for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Ogah made the call during plenary, through a motion of urgent national importance presented before the House of Representatives, where he warned that Nigeria currently faces a heightened risk of Ebola importation following the recent outbreak of the deadly virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The lawmaker’s intervention has already generated reactions within public health circles and among concerned Nigerians, especially as fears continue to grow over the country’s preparedness to tackle another major epidemic.

According to Ogah, the recent Ebola outbreak in the Ituri Province of the DRC, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, poses a serious danger to Nigeria because of the nation’s porous borders and weak cross-border surveillance systems.

He noted that, unlike previous strains, the current Ebola variant reportedly has no licensed vaccine or targeted treatment, making proactive emergency preparedness the only reliable defence mechanism against a possible outbreak.

The federal lawmaker further reminded the House that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had already placed Nigeria on high alert following the development.

He disclosed that the NCDC officially activated emergency preparedness measures nationwide on May 25, 2026, after categorising Nigeria as being at high risk of Ebola importation.

However, Ogah expressed serious concern that the agency saddled with protecting Nigerians from infectious disease outbreaks is currently struggling, due to prolonged funding shortages.

According to the motion, the NCDC reportedly received no operational funding throughout 2025, while capital releases tied to its 2026 budget allocations are yet to be released.

The lawmaker warned that the funding crisis has severely weakened the agency’s response capacity at a time when global public health threats are becoming more frequent and unpredictable.

Ogah listed several operational challenges currently affecting the NCDC, including unpaid contractors and service providers, a shortage of laboratory reagents and diagnostic materials, stalled treatment centre projects, inadequate biosafety facilities, poor intensive care infrastructure, and limited oxygen support systems.

He lamented that the agency currently lacks sufficient resources to adequately train and deploy rapid response teams across the country.

The Abia-born lawmaker stressed that failure to urgently strengthen the nation’s disease response systems could expose millions of Nigerians to avoidable risks.

Speaking further, Ogah maintained that protecting national health security must remain a top priority for the government at all levels.

He warned that delaying critical funding for disease preparedness agencies could expose the country to serious public health consequences capable of affecting lives, businesses, economic activities, and national stability.

The lawmaker called on Port Health Authorities and relevant agencies to intensify surveillance activities across Nigeria’s borders in order to detect and contain any possible importation of infectious diseases.