NCDC: ₦10bn fund covers many diseases, not Ebola alone
- NCDC chief Jide Idris says the ₦10bn emergency fund was never meant for Ebola alone.
- He says the money went to the agency, not the presidential Ebola task force.
- Idris says Nigeria needs about ₦104.4bn a year for health security, so ₦10bn is about 2%.
Di Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) don move to clear di confusion over di ₦10bn emergency fund wey President Bola Tinubu approve, saying di money no be for Ebola alone.
NCDC Director-General Dr Jide Idris talk for one statement on Monday say di fund na for preparing and responding to plenty diseases wey fit cause epidemic. Dem include Ebola, Lassa fever, cholera, cerebrospinal meningitis, diphtheria, measles, monkeypox and antimicrobial resistance.
Di clarification come after public debate over di allocation, after Nigeria confirm one imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease on October 20, 2026.
Where di money go
Idris talk say dem release di ₦10bn directly to NCDC, not to di Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, wey di Chief of Staff to di President dey chair. Di task force, im talk, na to coordinate di national response, while di agency dey handle di wider health security work.
Im talk say President Tinubu approve di money in June 2026, when di Ebola outbreak for Democratic Republic of Congo become global emergency. According to am, di request cover all of Nigeria epidemic-prone diseases, not just Ebola.
Di NCDC boss also give breakdown of di agency funding: ₦4bn in 2024, ₦7bn in 2025 plus ₦5bn intervention fund dat year, and ₦22bn in di 2026 Appropriation.
Im talk say on Sunday, October 25, 2026, im don tell journalists say di ₦10bn never reach di agency, but im no talk when dem eventually release am.
Why ₦10bn small, according to NCDC
Idris talk say di money far short of wetin Nigeria need. Di National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS 2.0), wey go run from 2025 to 2029, go cost about ₦522bn over five years, or roughly ₦104.4bn a year.
Dat mean di ₦10bn na about two per cent of di average yearly cost, im talk. "The N10 billion allocation remains inadequate to meet Nigeria's broader health security needs," Idris talk for di statement.
Im also cite di Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, wey estimate say one country need $1 to $2 per person each year to dey acceptably prepared for epidemics. For about 240 million Nigerians, dat come to $240m to $480m a year.
Idris talk say di debate suppose move away from politics and go towards steady funding for health security, warning say di cost of failing to prepare fit far higher than di cost of prevention.
Wetin go happen next
On Ebola, Idris talk say Nigeria no get active case at di moment. Dem dey monitor contacts of di imported case daily until di last one complete di required 21-day watch without symptoms.
Im talk say di current situation no justify to postpone elections, restrict travel or ban mass gatherings. Instead, NCDC don issue guidelines for event organisers on infection prevention and control.
Im urge Nigerians make dem no spread unverified information, saying misinformation and politicisation of public health emergencies fit weaken di response.
