NCDC DG warns Ebola may delay 2027 elections, but Nigerians still need answers on ₦10bn Fund and ₦100k payments

The government approved ₦10 billion for emergency preparedness in June, while a later APC statement said the fund had not been disbursed.

The NCDC announced ₦100,000 weekly support for people quarantined after possible Ebola exposure, raising questions about eligibility, funding and payment verification.

Nigeria approved ₦10 billion to prepare for Ebola in June. Four months later, after confirming a case in Abuja, the government was facing questions about the money, announcing ₦100,000 weekly payments for quarantined contacts and warning that a widespread outbreak could affect the 2027 elections.

On June 9, President Bola Tinubu approved ₦10 billion for emergency preparedness and ordered its immediate release, according to a State House announcement.

But on October 22, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council said the money remained untouched because agencies, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), had used other available resources. 

The council provided no financial records to support its claim or explain why the approved fund had not been used.

The questions became more urgent after Nigeria confirmed its first case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola on October 20. 

The 42-year-old patient had returned from Uganda earlier that month and developed symptoms days later. The NCDC was notified on October 19, before laboratory confirmation the following day.

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On October 26, the government evacuated her to Switzerland, where she is receiving treatment. Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said Nigerian doctors had stabilised her before the transfer. 

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate On October 25, NCDC Director-General Jide Idris announced ₦100,000 per week for people quarantined after possible exposure. The NCDC said the payment was intended to ease financial pressure on people unable to attend to their businesses and families. 

But how many people will receive it, how long will payments last, and what is the total cost?

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The ₦100,000 weekly Ebola allowance comes amid lingering questions about the government’s cash-transfer programme. 

In September, APC Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda claimed over 10 million Nigerians had received ₦75,000 each, despite lacking phones or access to social media.

APC chairman Nentawe Yilwatda says more than 10 million cash-transfer beneficiaries have no phones or social media access. Daily Trust questioned how such payments could be independently verified, citing audit concerns over evidence that beneficiaries actually received earlier transfers.

Although the Ebola allowance serves a different purpose, the same accountability question applies: how many people will receive the money, how will payments be verified, and where is the funding coming from?

Supporting people in quarantine is necessary, but the government must show that the money reaches those who need it.

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The latest concern is the 2027 general election. Idris said a sufficiently widespread outbreak could prompt consideration of postponement but stressed that there was currently no need for it.

NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris As of October 27, Nigeria had no known active Ebola case following the patient’s evacuation, while health authorities continued monitoring contacts.

The election warning is therefore a conditional scenario, not an announcement that the polls will be postponed. However, it is a tactic many Nigerians clocked the moment the Ebola saga started.