Ebola Scare: FG Approves N45bn Biosecurity System For Airports

The Federal Government has approved N45.08 billion for the establishment of a national biosecurity and disease surveillance system at five international airports to strengthen the country’s capacity to detect and respond to infectious disease threats.

Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Pate said the project would be implemented under a 20-year public-private partnership arrangement involving the BioHealth Consortium.

He said the initiative had become necessary to strengthen Nigeria’s defences against infectious diseases entering the country through international borders.

“Since COVID, we have known that there are significant vulnerabilities in terms of public health threats crossing borders, and the need for coordinated technology-driven systems for early warning, detection and response to emerging infectious disease threats,” the minister said.

According to him, Nigeria receives more than 18 million passengers annually through its airports, making effective disease surveillance essential to protecting public health and economic activities.

“The implementation of this system will support evidence-based decision-making, improve inter-agency coordination, compliance with international health regulations, and our ability to deploy more advanced technologies beyond what we currently have,” he said.

The five airports listed for the initial deployment are the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport and Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.

Pate explained that the project would involve the deployment of pathogen detection infrastructure, including wastewater surveillance systems for aircraft, air and surface sampling equipment, and biosurveillance technology for cargo and baggage.

“This is not Ebola. It is all pathogens of huge public health threats,” he said, explaining that the system would be designed to detect a broad range of dangerous pathogens rather than focus on a single disease.

The project will also establish a national surveillance operations centre to serve as a central command and control facility for real-time surveillance, data integration, incident monitoring and response coordination.

According to the minister, laboratory facilities would also be deployed at the airports to facilitate rapid diagnostics and improve Nigeria’s ability to respond to emerging infectious diseases.

He said the system would be integrated with relevant agencies, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Port Health Services, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

Under the public-private partnership arrangement, the private consortium will design, finance, build, operate and maintain the infrastructure during the concession period, while the Federal Government will provide policy direction, institutional support and regulatory oversight.

At the end of the 20-year concession, the assets will revert to the ownership and control of the Federal Government in accordance with the concession agreement reviewed and endorsed by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission.

Pate said the approval came amid concerns over the spread of infectious diseases, including Ebola, and the need to strengthen surveillance at Nigeria’s points of entry.

He disclosed that the country had recorded an Ebola case in October, adding that the patient had recovered while contact tracing and other containment measures were ongoing.

According to him, the government had taken measures to prevent the infection from spreading into the wider community.

“Our goal is to contain it. We don’t want to be in a situation whereby we have community transmission,” he said.

The minister explained that the government was monitoring people who had come into contact with the infected person to ensure they complied with quarantine requirements.

Responding to a question about financial support for people placed in isolation or quarantine, Pate said the payments were intended to encourage compliance with public health measures.

He explained that some contacts could lose income while complying with quarantine directives and might be tempted to evade monitoring if they could not provide for their families.

“They have a livelihood, and you ask them to stay in quarantine. They have a family. The compliance with that quarantine, they may find ways to evade it, and that will put everybody at risk,” he said.

Pate added that the support was a targeted intervention to prevent further transmission and should not be interpreted as a general payment arrangement in the event of widespread community transmission.

He said the government was determined to prevent the situation from escalating into a wider outbreak.

The minister warned that infectious diseases posed risks beyond public health, noting that outbreaks could also disrupt economic activities.

“When pathogens come and disrupt, economic activities also suffer,” he said.

He described the airport biosecurity project as a timely intervention that would strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness for future public health emergencies and protect the country’s health and economic security.