Nigeria’s Senate has called for emergency funding and mandatory Ebola screening at international airports, seaports and designated land borders following concerns over the risk of further infections.
The Nigerian Senate has called for emergency funding and compulsory health screening at all international entry points as the country strengthens its response to Ebola. Lawmakers are also demanding more trained health officers, screening equipment and modern public health legislation.
The Nigerian Senate has called on the Federal Government to release emergency funding and enforce mandatory health screening at all international entry points to strengthen the country’s response to the Ebola outbreak.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senator Francis Faduyile, who raised concerns about the spread of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola and the risk of the virus entering Nigeria through international travel.
The Senate wants compulsory screening introduced at international airports, seaports and designated land borders, regardless of travellers’ nationalities or countries of departure.
The proposed measures include health declaration forms, temperature checks and symptom assessments. Travellers who have visited or transited through affected areas within the preceding 21 days would be subject to enhanced screening. Lawmakers also called for exit screening during declared public health emergencies.
The Senate expressed concern that existing screening arrangements had focused on travellers from selected countries, potentially leaving gaps in the country’s disease surveillance system.
It also highlighted shortages of trained personnel and screening equipment at some entry points, alongside the continued reliance on the Quarantine Act of 1926, which lawmakers say needs to be replaced with modern public health legislation aligned with the International Health Regulations of 2005.
The upper chamber urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and Port Health Services to strengthen surveillance and ensure that the proposed screening measures are implemented.
It further called on relevant agencies, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigeria Immigration Service, to provide adequate trained health officers, thermal scanners, protective equipment and isolation facilities at entry points.
Lawmakers also urged the Federal Government to ensure that isolation and treatment centres are adequately prepared across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Senate’s demand comes amid heightened public health concerns after the Federal Ministry of Health confirmed an Ebola case in the FCT on October 20, 2026.
The patient, a woman who had recently arrived from Uganda, was reported to be in isolation and receiving medical care, while contact tracing began for 44 people who may have been exposed.
The Federal Government had earlier announced a presidential task force and approved ₦10 billion for Ebola preparedness in June 2026. The latest Senate resolution calls for additional support, including adequate funding for the NCDC and Port Health Services in the 2027 budget and the release of outstanding funds.
Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 through case detection, isolation, contact tracing and coordinated public health action. The current response will depend on early identification of suspected cases, effective surveillance and cooperation between health authorities and the public.
The Senate’s demands are intended to strengthen the country’s readiness to prevent further transmission as authorities continue their response to the confirmed case.