Ebola: Senate Demands Release Of ₦10 Billion, Orders Border Screening

Senators sitting in the Nigeria Senate Chambers Key Takeaways The Senate ordered compulsory Ebola screening for all international travellers entering Nigeria through airports, seaports and designated land borders. Senate President Godswill Akpabio said he received information that a traveller from Kenya who tested positive for Ebola entered Nigeria without health screening. The Senate demanded the immediate release of ₦10 billion for Ebola control, which Senator Ali Ndume said President Bola Tinubu had already approved. The Senate has ordered compulsory health screening for all international travellers entering Nigeria following concerns that gaps in airport checks may have allowed an Ebola patient into the country without proper screening.

The lawmakers also called for the immediate release of emergency funds to fight the disease and the replacement of Nigeria’s 100-year-old Quarantine Act of 1926 with a modern public health law.

The resolutions were reached on Wednesday after senators debated an urgent motion sponsored by Senator Francis Faduyile, a professor of medicine and specialist pathologist, who warned that Nigeria faces a high risk of further Ebola cases.

During the debate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said he received information that the traveller from Kenya who tested positive for Ebola entered Nigeria without any form of health screening.

“There was no temperature check or any form of screening, and the traveller himself was worried,” Akpabio said.

He suggested that the case might have been discovered only after the traveller arrived at a hospital, raising concerns about the country’s ability to detect infected passengers at its entry points.

Akpabio recalled Nigeria’s experience during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, when a Liberian patient brought the virus into the country and a doctor who treated him later died.

He warned that the situation could become dangerous if the virus spreads beyond the people already identified as contacts.

“With 44 contacts already traced in 24 hours, and each of those potentially in contact with at least three more people, we are looking at a dangerous chain reaction. This is a major wake-up call,” he said.

The Senate President directed the Senate Committee on Judiciary to work immediately with health authorities and the executive to amend the Quarantine Act without waiting for a bill from the Federal Government.

Following the debate, the Senate unanimously resolved that health screening must be compulsory for all international passengers arriving through airports, seaports and designated land borders.

The measures include health declaration forms, temperature checks and screening for symptoms of Ebola.

The lawmakers also called for closer monitoring of travellers who visited or passed through affected areas within the previous 21 days.

Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, argued that screening should not be restricted to passengers arriving from countries already listed as affected by the outbreak.

He said the case involving a traveller from Kenya showed why Nigeria needed to screen everyone entering the country, regardless of their country of origin.

“You don’t know where a person contracted Ebola. Screening must be mandatory for every traveller coming into this country at every airport, regardless of origin,” Ndume said.

The Senate also urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigeria Immigration Service to ensure that all entry points have enough trained Port Health officers, thermal scanners, personal protective equipment and isolation rooms.

It further called for isolation and treatment centres to be ready across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The lawmakers also raised concerns about the Quarantine Act of 1926, which currently provides the legal framework for some of Nigeria’s disease control measures.

Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, representing Borno North, described the law as outdated and unsuitable for dealing with modern public health emergencies.

He urged the National Assembly to repeal and replace it with a law that reflects current realities and allows health officials to use modern technology in responding to disease outbreaks.

Senate President Akpabio backed the call, directing the Senate Committee on Judiciary to begin work on the necessary changes immediately.

Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar of Kwara North also called for a coordinated response involving relevant government agencies, adequate funding and stronger border controls.

He recalled how Nigeria received international recognition for containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak, warning that the country must not allow its previous success to be undermined.

Senator Adamu Aliero of Kebbi Central described the motion as timely, noting that the reported death toll from the current outbreak made urgent action necessary.

He said Nigeria must do everything possible to contain the disease, particularly as there was no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain at the time of the debate.

Naija News understands that the question of funding generated further debate, with lawmakers calling for immediate financial support for the country’s Ebola response.

While Faduyile initially proposed that adequate funds be provided in the 2027 budget, Ndume said President Bola Tinubu had already approved ₦10 billion for Ebola control.

He demanded the immediate release of the money and proper accounting for how it would be spent.

Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the FCT, also called for the funds to be used to procure vaccines, particularly for Abuja, where the case was detected.

The Senate’s resolutions followed concerns raised by Faduyile about Nigeria’s preparedness for the outbreak.

He told lawmakers that the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, declared in May 2026, had become one of the largest Ebola outbreaks in history, with more than 9,000 confirmed cases and about 4,400 deaths, according to figures he presented.

He said the virus had spread to Uganda and Kenya before reaching Nigeria, adding that contact tracing linked to the Abuja case had identified about 44 people for quarantine and observation.

Faduyile also criticised the country’s entry screening system, saying restrictions introduced on September 22, 2026, focused on travellers from selected countries and did not include Kenya at the time.

He warned that several airports, seaports and land borders lacked adequate Port Health officers, scanners and isolation facilities.

The lawmaker added that Nigeria was already dealing with Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria and could not afford another major disease outbreak.

The Senate called for urgent action to strengthen screening, improve emergency preparedness and prevent further spread of Ebola in the country.

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