House of Representatives has raised serious concerns over what lawmakers described as a crippling funding crisis at Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), warning that the country’s capacity to respond to a possible Ebola outbreak and other epidemic-prone diseases has been dangerously weakened.
The alarm was raised through a Motion on a Matter of Urgent National Importance sponsored by Hon. Amobi Ogah.
Ogah called on the federal government to immediately provide adequate funding to the country’s foremost public health institution to strengthen preparedness and emergency response mechanisms.
Meanwhile, as countries continued to implement measures to check Ebola disease spread, the federal government intensified national preparedness and response measures to safeguard Nigeria against the possible introduction of the Bundibugyo ebolavirus disease (BEBOV), currently reported in parts of East and Central African region.
Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare reassured Nigerians that there was currently no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria.
However, it said that in line with the government’s commitment to strengthening national health security and preventing cross-border disease transmission, heightened preparedness measures had been activated nationwide.
Equally upbeat, Executive Director of World Health Organisation Health (WHO) Emergencies Programme, Chikwe Ihekweazu, Tuesday said Nigeria was less likely to witness another Ebola outbreak.
During an interview on ARISE News Channel’s “The Morning Show”, Ihekweazu grounded his position on several intervening factors, which included non-proximity to affected regions and measures being deployed to check the spread of the disease.
The former director-general of NCDC said surveillance and response systems were being strengthened across affected regions.
He also said Nigeria’s exposure to the risk of Ebola being imported into the country was limited, compared to those countries bordering Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Presenting the motion before the House on the country’s capacity to respond to a possible Ebola outbreak and other epidemic-prone diseases, Ogah stated that NCDC was Nigeria’s National Public Health Institute with the statutory responsibility of responding to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies across the country.
He drew attention to a recent warning issued by Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), which on May 15, confirmed an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus in the Ituri Province of Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the lawmaker, the outbreak has already become a major public health emergency in Central Africa and poses a significant threat to other African countries, including Nigeria, particularly, because of porous borders and inadequate cross-border surveillance systems.
Ogah expressed concern the Bundibugyo strain currently had no licensed vaccine or targeted medical treatment, making prevention, preparedness, and rapid response the only viable strategies for containing any potential spread.
The lawmaker recalled that on May 25, 2026, NCDC officially placed Nigeria at high risk of Ebola importation.
He stated that in the public health advisory, Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed that the centre had intensified national coordination activities and activated preparedness measures, while the National Emergency Operations Centre was on alert mode.
However, Ogah questioned the country’s actual level of preparedness, alleging that NCDC received no operational funding in 2025 and no capital releases had so far been made against its approved 2026 budget allocation.
He also lamented that overhead releases to the agency had been irregular and grossly inadequate, describing the situation as a violation of established international standards and an abuse of the provisions of the Appropriation Acts.
“How then can the preparedness of the centre for emergencies be guaranteed?” the lawmaker asked.
According to him, prolonged underfunding, coupled with uncertainty over future releases, has severely weakened the agency’s ability to discharge its critical health security responsibilities.
He observed that the challenge had been compounded by a significant decline in external donor support, which previously supplemented government funding for disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness, and emergency response activities.
The House was informed that NCDC was currently facing a series of operational challenges that threatened its effectiveness.
Among the challenges highlighted was the failure to pay vendors for critical goods and services for more than one year, a situation that had stalled strategic projects, including zonal laboratories, treatment centres, and isolation facilities.
Ogah also disclosed that the agency now had dangerously limited resources for simulation exercises, preparedness drills, and after-action reviews that were necessary to identify weaknesses and improve outbreak response systems before emergencies occur.
He warned that laboratory reagents, consumables, and other essential materials required for disease screening and diagnosis were almost completely exhausted, thereby limiting the country’s capacity to detect and respond swiftly to infectious disease outbreaks.
The lawmaker revealed that biosafety and biosecurity infrastructure for handling highly infectious pathogens remains grossly inadequate, while intensive care and oxygen support systems needed for managing severe disease cases are also severely limited.
He added that funding constraints had negatively affected the training and retraining of Rapid Response Teams across the country and weakened surge workforce deployment systems that were critical during public health emergencies.
According to him, the challenges, among several others, are gradually undermining the centre’s ability to deliver efficient services and protect Nigerians from emerging health threats.
Ogah described the situation as extremely disturbing, warning that the prolonged funding gap has already constrained key national health functions, including outbreak response operations, laboratory services, disease surveillance systems, logistics coordination, and frontline emergency preparedness activities.
He cautioned that unless urgent and adequate funding was released to NCDC, Nigeria might find itself too ill-equipped to respond effectively to the resurfacing Ebola threat and other epidemic-prone diseases.
The lawmaker warned that such a development could have devastating consequences for national public health and safety.
Following deliberations, the House urged the executive arm of government to immediately provide NCDC with all approved releases captured in the Appropriation Acts to enable the agency settle outstanding liabilities and ensure uninterrupted operations.
The lawmakers also mandated the House Committee on Infectious Diseases to facilitate, monitor, and ensure the proper utilisation of released funds and report back to the House for further legislative action.
In addition, the House called on Port Health Authorities to intensify surveillance and cross-border checks at entry points across the country to prevent the infiltration of infected persons.
The House directed its Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure strict adherence to the resolutions and recommendations arising from the motion.
The development came amid growing concerns across Africa over the resurgence of Ebola and other infectious diseases, placing renewed emphasis on the need for stronger public health institutions, sustainable funding and effective disease surveillance systems to protect lives and safeguard national security.
A statement signed by Assistant Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health, Ado Bako, said as part of ongoing response readiness efforts, official preparedness protocols, advisories, and technical guidance documents had been uploaded to the ministry’s website to support public awareness, stakeholder sensitisation, and institutional compliance.
The ministry also highlighted several measures currently operational across the country to include strict border control and point of entry (PoE) protocols, universal temperature screening using non-invasive infrared thermal scanners, and handheld thermometers for arriving travellers.
Other measures also include mandatory completion of Health Declaration Forms and travel history assessments for inbound passengers; enhanced traveller risk assessment and screening procedures at designated Points of Entry; secondary screening, isolation, and referral mechanisms for travellerspresenting symptoms consistent with viral haemorrhagic fevers; and strengthened coordination with immigration, aviation, maritime, and border management authorities.
With regard to enhanced surveillance and scientific monitoring, the ministry said it had activated enhanced Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) activities nationwide; strengthened event-based and community-based surveillance systems; active monitoring, verification, and investigation of public health alerts and rumours; as well as continuous national risk assessment and epidemiological monitoring.
The ministry said it was carrying out sensitisation and preparedness training for healthcare workers, surveillance officers, and frontline personnel.
It stated, “Healthcare facilities nationwide have also been advised to maintain a high index of suspicion for viral haemorrhagic fevers, strengthen triage systems, promptly isolate suspected cases, and adhere strictly to established reporting protocols.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare urges members of the public to remain calm, avoid misinformation and unverified rumours, and rely only on official updates issued by recognised public health authorities.
“Members of the public are advised to maintain regular hand hygiene, avoid direct contact with bodily fluids of symptomatic individuals, avoid contact with dead animals or bush meat from unknown sources, and promptly report unusual illnesses or deaths to the nearest health authority or healthcare facility.”
Moreover, according to Ihekweazu, “Whenever there’s an outbreak, there is always a concern about international spread. There’ve been a few confirmed cases in Uganda; all are linked back to the cluster in the DRC, and all are secondary cases.
“Uganda is the only country with confirmed Ebola cases outside the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We’ve categorised countries across the continent and world according to the risk category. The countries at highest risk are those that share borders with the DRC. The risk of exporting to a country like Nigeria is low.”
The WHO executive director added, “The other aspect is the preparedness of each country. Even if the risk is low, it could still happen. The question is, is every country ready and able to detect a case if it arrives? Take appropriate public health measures such as collecting samples and identifying hospitals where they can be managed appropriately and safely and containing the response.”
Ihekweazu warned that the outbreak remained a serious global health threat.
Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Juliet Akoje
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