Ebola: FEC okays N45.8bn surveillance system at 5 int’l airports.
Addressing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Coordinating Minister of […] The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a N45.8 billion biosecurity and disease surveillance system for five international airports across the country to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to detect Ebola and other dangerous diseases at its borders.
Pate said the approval was one of the outcomes of the Council meeting held on Wednesday.
According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant vulnerabilities in the country’s ability to manage public health threats crossing its borders.
He said, “Over the last two weeks, I think you realise the significance of enhancing biosecurity at our points of entry.” The minister explained that the project was informed by lessons from Nigeria’s recent response to Ebola, adding that it would be implemented under a 20-year public-private partnership concession awarded to BioHealth Consortium. He described the initiative as a major investment in Nigeria’s health and economic security, noting that infectious disease outbreaks could disrupt economic activities and threaten public safety. According to him, the surveillance system would be deployed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Port Harcourt International Airport; and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu. He disclosed that more than 18 million passengers pass through Nigeria’s airports annually, making effective surveillance at the points of entry critical to national health security.
MSEApp News is publishing an original rewrite of this tip for readers, based on reporting associated with Daily Trust.