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The Senate has urged the Federal Government to release emergency funds to strengthen Nigeria’s disease surveillance system and make health screening compulsory for all international passengers arriving through airports, seaports and designated land borders.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senator Francis Faduyile, who raised concerns over the spread of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus and the threat it poses to Nigeria’s public health system.
Faduyile said the outbreak, which originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), had spread to other African countries, including Uganda and Kenya, increasing the risk of infected travellers entering Nigeria through third countries.
He cited an assessment by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) indicating a high risk of Ebola importation, recalling that an infected traveller introduced the disease into Nigeria through Lagos in July 2014.
While acknowledging the Federal Government’s existing preventive measures, including health declaration forms and enhanced screening at entry points, the Senate expressed concern that screening requirements were limited to travellers from selected countries.
The lawmakers warned that the approach could create gaps in disease surveillance, particularly amid concerns over inadequate staffing and equipment at several entry points.
They also questioned the continued reliance of Port Health Services on the Quarantine Act of 1926, arguing that Nigeria’s legal framework requires urgent modernisation to address emerging public health threats.
The Senate consequently urged the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NCDC and Port Health Services to enforce compulsory screening for all arriving international passengers, irrespective of nationality or country of departure.
The proposed measures include health declaration forms, temperature checks and symptom assessments, with enhanced screening for passengers who have visited or transited through affected areas within the preceding 21 days.
It also called for exit screening of departing passengers whenever a public health emergency is declared.
The upper chamber urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigeria Immigration Service to provide adequate numbers of trained Port Health officers, thermal scanners, protective equipment and isolation facilities at all entry points.
It further called on the Federal Government to ensure that isolation and treatment centres across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory are adequately equipped to respond to a possible outbreak.
On funding, the Senate urged the government to release emergency resources from the service-wide vote to strengthen disease surveillance and response capacity.
It also called on the ministries responsible for finance, budget and economic planning to make adequate provisions for the NCDC and Port Health Services in the 2027 budget and release outstanding funds.
The lawmakers stressed that Nigeria’s existing public health challenges, including Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria, make stronger preparedness essential to preventing another major health emergency.
Nigeria Confirms Ebola Case
The Senate’s resolution came amid the Federal Government’s confirmation of an Ebola virus disease case in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, announced in Abuja on Wednesday that laboratory tests had confirmed an imported case of the infection.
Pate said the patient was a woman who had recently travelled to Uganda and returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7. Her condition reportedly worsened four days later before laboratory tests confirmed the infection.
However, Uganda’s Ministry of Health disputed reports of an Ebola outbreak in the country, saying the location where the patient was exposed to the virus remained under investigation.
The Ugandan authorities maintained that travelling through the country alone was insufficient to establish the source of the infection.
They also said Nigeria had yet to provide detailed information about the patient’s travel itinerary and clinical history, which they considered necessary to guide further investigations and contact tracing.
The Ebola outbreak has raised concerns across Africa, with several countries strengthening surveillance and response measures.
Kenya reported its ninth case on Tuesday, while the outbreak in the DRC has caused significant fatalities and placed additional pressure on the country’s public health system.
The Senate said strengthening surveillance, closing screening gaps and ensuring adequate funding would be critical to protecting Nigerians against the further spread of Ebola and other epidemic-prone diseases.
