N10bn Emergency Health Fund Not for Ebola Intervention Alone, NCDC Declares

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja            

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) yesterday explained that the N10 billion emergency health fund released by the federal government was not limited to Ebola disease, but meant for broader health security interventions.

The agency also said the money was not released to the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Ebola Disease Virus (EVD).

President Bola Tinubu had approved N10 billion for emergency health preparedness in the wake of the recent importation of the first index case of Ebola into Nigeria.

However, NCDC said the money was released to it to strengthen prevention, preparedness, readiness, early detection, rapid response, and resilient recovery for diseases of public health importance.

Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, had told journalists during a recent press conference that the agency was yet to receive the N10 billion intervention fund.

A statement signed by Idris clarified issues relating to the money. It said the fund was not meant for Ebola alone but also other diseases that had historically caused significant illness and death in Nigeria, such as Lassa fever, cholera, cerebrospinal meningitis, diphtheria, measles, mpox, and antimicrobial resistance.

In the statement, which sought to address controversies trailing the release, Idris said, “Was N10 billion released to NCDC? Yes. Was the money meant for Ebola? The request was not limited to Ebola Disease alone.”

The director-general said he sought additional funding to strengthen the health security architecture beyond a single outbreak.

On whether the money was released to the Presidential Task Force chaired by Chief of Staff to the President, Idris said, “No. The PTF was established primarily to coordinate the national response. The N10 billion in question was released to NCDC to address broader health security needs.”

The agency lamented that political actors sometimes failed to distinguish responsible opposition from calumny and outright mischief, stressing that 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,” the statement said.

On whether N10 billion was enough for Nigeria’s health security, NCDC said it was not, describing the allocation as inadequate.

It said the funding requirements were not arbitrary but informed by national plans, identified gaps, and the cost of implementing agreed priorities.

It stated that following the expiration of the first National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS), Nigeria developed NAPHS 2.0 (2025–2029) to guide health security investments over the next five years.

Idris added that although significant progress was made under the first plan, inadequate funding remained a major constraint.

“One key lesson was the need for NCDC to pursue additional domestic and external funding,” the statement said.

According to the centre, NAPHS 2.0 is a multi-sectoral, One Health, whole-of-government and whole-of-society plan bringing together relevant ministries, departments and agencies; development partners; multilateral and bilateral agencies; civil society organisations; and other stakeholders to strengthen capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats.

It said the estimated cost of implementing NAPHS 2.0 alone was approximately N522 billion over five years, translating to an average of about N104.4 billion annually.

NCDC said, “Although not all the 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: N10 billion represents about two per cent of the plan’s average annual cost. It should therefore not be presented as an excessive allocation.”

The centre stated that the discussion should not be whether Nigeria could afford to invest adequately in health security, but whether it could afford the human, social and economic consequences of failing to do so. It said effective preparedness reduced the likelihood that outbreaks will escalate into national emergencies, disrupt livelihoods, overwhelm health facilities, and impose far greater costs.

“N10 billion should be understood within the broader context—not as excess funding, but as part of the investment required to protect Nigeria’s population and economy,” it added.

The centre urged Nigerians, policymakers, the media, and development partners to direct greater attention towards advocating for sustainable, adequate, and accountable funding for NCDC and the wider health security system.

It assured Nigerians of the transparency, accountability and careful use of every resource entrusted to it, saying its commitment remains the protection of the health of every Nigerian.