NCDC: ₦10bn Emergency Fund Covers Ebola, Other Disease Threats

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said the Federal Government’s ₦10 billion emergency intervention fund is not meant for Ebola alone but covers several other disease threats.

NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, explaining that the money was approved to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness against public health emergencies.

He listed Lassa fever, cholera, meningitis, diphtheria, measles, monkeypox and antimicrobial resistance among the threats the funding is expected to address.

Idris also clarified that the money was released directly to the NCDC and not the Presidential Task Force on Ebola, chaired by President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.

“The PTF was established primarily to coordinate the national response.

“The ₦10 billion in question was released to NCDC to address the broader health security needs outlined above,” he said.

The NCDC chief said Nigeria requires about ₦104.4 billion annually to implement its National Action Plan for Health Security, which will run from 2025 to 2029 at an estimated cost of ₦522 billion.

He explained that the ₦10 billion represents only about two per cent of the plan’s average annual cost.

Idris said the NCDC’s allocation increased from ₦4 billion in 2024 to ₦7 billion in 2025, while the 2026 budget provides ₦22 billion.

He urged politicians and public commentators to avoid spreading misinformation, warning that public health security should not become a subject of partisan politics.

“Health security is a matter of national security and should not be reduced to partisan contestation,” he said.

The Federal Government approved the intervention fund in June 2026, months before Nigeria confirmed its first imported Bundibugyo Ebola case on Oct. 20.