Tinubu approve ₦45bn for disease screening for five airports
- Di Federal Executive Council approve about ₦45.08 billion for biosecurity systems for five international airports.
- Health Minister Ali Pate talk say di 20-year deal with BioHealth Consortium cover Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu.
- Di approval follow Nigeria imported Ebola case, and Pate talk say di patient don recover.
Nigeria go spend about ₦45.08 billion on new equipment to spot infectious diseases for five international airports, after di Federal Executive Council approve di plan on Wednesday.
Health Minister Ali Pate brief reporters after di council meeting for Abuja, wey President Bola Tinubu chair. He name di airports as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu.
BioHealth Consortium go handle di work under 20-year public-private partnership. Daily Post and The Whistler put di figure at ₦45 billion, while Leadership report ₦45.08 billion.
According to Pate, di systems go test wastewater from aircraft and take air and surface samples, using specialised tools to detect dangerous pathogens. Dem also mean to help di agencies wey dey handle public health and border checks work together better.
Why e matter now
Di approval come as Nigeria dey tighten guard against Ebola. Di country confirm one imported case on October 20, 2026, after tests find di Bundibugyo virus for one woman wey travel from Uganda through Addis Ababa.
Di patient fall sick on October 7 and seek treatment for Abuja on October 11, according to The Whistler. Dem move am to Switzerland on October 26.
Pate talk on Wednesday say di patient don recover, Leadership report. Contact tracing and other measures to stop di virus from spreading still dey in place.
Di World Health Organisation don talk say Nigeria must go 42 days without another confirmed or probable case before dem fit call di outbreak over. Dat mean dem go watch di coming weeks well well.
For travellers, di new airport systems mean to catch threats early, before dem spread enter communities. For di health authorities, di test na whether di equipment and di coordination between agencies go work in practice.
Wetin happen next
Di contract with BioHealth Consortium suppose run for 20 years, with di company delivering and running di systems. Nigerians go dey watch whether dem actually equip di airports and whether di Ebola contact monitoring go end without new cases.
