Ebola: Reps Demand Release of Outstanding Health Emergency Funds

The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to release outstanding funds appropriated for health agencies to strengthen Nigeria’s response to Ebola following the confirmation of a case in Abuja.

The lawmakers also called for stronger disease surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing and emergency medical preparedness to prevent further transmission.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Amobi Ogah, who represents Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State, during plenary on Wednesday.

Moving the motion, Ogah said the confirmation of an Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20 required coordinated action by federal and state health authorities.

He warned that delays in identifying suspected cases, conducting laboratory tests, isolating infected persons and tracing their contacts could increase the risk of transmission.

The lawmakers also raised concerns about possible shortages of infection prevention and control supplies, inadequate public awareness and gaps in the preparedness of healthcare workers.

Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged the Federal Government to mobilise public and private health agencies and place them on high alert.

It specifically called on the Federal Ministry of Finance to release outstanding appropriated funds to relevant health agencies to support surveillance, testing and other emergency response activities.

The House also urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the resources required to strengthen the country’s preparedness in line with current public health evidence.

Its Committee on Infectious Diseases was mandated to engage relevant ministries, departments, agencies and public health institutions to obtain updates on the situation and the measures being taken to prevent further transmission.

The committee is expected to report back to the House for further legislative action.

The demand comes after President Bola Tinubu announced the approval of ₦10 billion in emergency intervention funding for Ebola preparedness on June 9, 2026. The President also established a task force to coordinate the country’s response to the disease and other emerging public health threats.

The available information does not establish how much of the previously approved funding has been released or whether the outstanding funds cited by the lawmakers are part of that allocation.

The Federal Government confirmed Nigeria’s Ebola case on October 20 after laboratory testing identified the infection in a woman who had recently arrived in the country from Uganda.

The patient was receiving medical care in isolation, while health authorities had identified 44 close contacts for monitoring, according to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

The House’s latest resolutions place the release of health funds and the readiness of public health agencies at the centre of the country’s response as authorities work to contain the infection.