NCDC: ₦10 Billion Fund Targets Multiple Diseases, Not Just Ebola

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has clarified that the Nigerian Government’s ₦10 billion emergency intervention fund approved in June 2026 was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s response to multiple public health threats, not just Ebola.

The agency’s Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, clarified a statement on Monday following public scrutiny of the funding after Nigeria confirmed an imported Ebola case in October.

Idris explained that the funding was intended to support prevention, preparedness, early detection, rapid response and recovery efforts against diseases of public health importance, including Ebola, Lassa fever, cholera, cerebrospinal meningitis, diphtheria, measles, monkeypox and antimicrobial resistance.

He also clarified that the money was released directly to the NCDC and not the Presidential Task Force on Ebola, headed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

According to Idris, the task force was established mainly to coordinate the national response, while the NCDC received the funds to address wider health security needs.

He criticised political actors and public commentators for spreading misleading narratives about the allocation, warning that misinformation during public health emergencies could undermine public trust and fuel infodemics.

Idris urged stakeholders to treat health security as a national priority rather than a subject of partisan disputes.

“Was the money released to the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on EVD, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President? No.

“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,” Idris said.

“It is unfortunate that political actors sometimes fail to distinguish responsible opposition from calumny and, in some cases, outright mischief. Health security is a matter of national security and should not be reduced to partisan contestation.

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

The NCDC chief said the intervention fund was relatively small compared with Nigeria’s estimated health security financing requirements.

He explained that implementing the country’s National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) 2.0, which runs from 2025 to 2029, is projected to cost ₦522 billion over five years, or an average of ₦104.4 billion annually.

Although not all activities under the plan are funded through the NCDC, Idris said the figures demonstrate the scale of investment needed to protect the country against public health emergencies.

He noted that the ₦10 billion intervention represents about two per cent of the plan’s average annual cost and should not be considered excessive without taking into account the range of threats it is meant to address.

“The estimated cost of implementing NAPHS 2.0 alone is approximately ₦522 billion over five years. This translates to an average of about ₦104.4 billion annually. Although not all NAPHS activities are funded through NCDC, this figure illustrates the scale of investment required to protect Nigerians against public health threats.

“Also, the comparison is instructive: ₦10 billion represents about two percent of the plan’s average annual cost. It should therefore not be presented as an excessive allocation without considering the scale of Nigeria’s health security needs and the range of activities it is intended to support,” the NCDC DG added.

Idris disclosed that the agency’s budgetary allocation rose from ₦4 billion in 2024 to ₦7 billion in 2025, while the 2026 Appropriation provides ₦22 billion.

He said the government had also approved a separate ₦5 billion intervention fund in 2025 before President Bola Tinubu authorised the additional ₦10 billion in June 2026, following the escalation of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo into a global emergency.

Despite the increased funding, the NCDC director-general said Nigeria still faced a significant health security financing gap.

Citing estimates by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, he said countries require between $1 and $2 per person annually to achieve an acceptable level of epidemic preparedness.

For Nigeria’s estimated population of 240 million, this translates to between $240 million and $480 million annually, he said, adding that sustained funding from federal and state governments, as well as development partners, would be necessary to bridge the gap.

Idris called for transparency and accountability in the management of public health funds, stressing that sustained investment was essential to prevent disease outbreaks from escalating into emergencies that disrupt livelihoods, overwhelm health facilities and impose greater economic costs.

He argued that the central question should be whether Nigeria could afford the consequences of inadequate investment in health security, rather than whether it could afford the investment itself.

Nigeria confirmed its first imported case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola on October 20, 2026, after a 42-year-old woman who had travelled from Uganda tested positive in Abuja.

Health authorities subsequently activated contact tracing, surveillance, quarantine and monitoring measures.

The NCDC identified 62 contacts, with monitoring scheduled to continue until November 13.

The index patient, who was reported to be clinically improved, stable and conscious, was evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 alongside her husband.