NCDC says N10bn fund was released to it and covers more than Ebola

The N10 billion approved in June for Ebola preparedness was released to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) for several disease threats, not Ebola alone, the agency said on Monday.

NCDC Director-General Jide Idris said in a statement that the money went directly to the agency, not to the Presidential Task Force on Ebola chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff. It covers prevention, detection and response for diseases including Ebola, Lassa fever, cholera, meningitis, diphtheria, measles, mpox and antimicrobial resistance.

The statement follows questions about the fund after Nigeria’s first Ebola case was confirmed in Abuja. Atiku Abubakar asked the government to publish records of the money after the APC Presidential Campaign Council said it remained untouched. Idris did not say how much of it has been spent.

Idris said the money was not enough. Nigeria’s National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) 2.0, which runs from 2025 to 2029, is estimated to cost about N522 billion, he said, though not all of it is funded through the NCDC.

That is about N104.4 billion a year. Idris said the N10 billion represents about 2 per cent of the plan’s five-year cost.

The NCDC’s own budget rose from N4 billion in 2024 to N7 billion in 2025, and the 2026 budget provides N22 billion, he said.

“Politicians and other public commentators must avoid fuelling infodemics, particularly during public health emergencies when accurate information and public trust are indispensable,” Idris said.

The woman whose infection was confirmed on 20 October was evacuated to Switzerland on 26 October. Idris said Nigeria had no active Ebola case and that all identified contacts were under daily monitoring.

Monitoring of the contacts is expected to end on 13 November, Channels Television reported.

Sources: News Agency of Nigeria; Channels Television