NCDC: Tinubu’s ₦10bn Emergency Fund Covers Lassa Fever, Cholera, Other Diseases
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has clarified that the ₦10 billion emergency intervention fund approved by President Bola Tinubu was not exclusively meant for combating Ebola but also covers preparedness against other epidemic-prone diseases.
The Director-General of the agency, Dr Jide Idris, said the funding was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health emergencies, including Lassa fever, cholera, cerebrospinal meningitis, diphtheria, measles, monkeypox and antimicrobial resistance.
Idris explained that several diseases require similar control measures, particularly surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, screening and monitoring at the country’s points of entry.
He said the funding was initially requested to address broader public health threats and was not restricted to Ebola Virus Disease.
The clarification comes amid public debate over the Federal Government’s approval of the ₦10 billion intervention fund, particularly questions about its intended purpose and utilisation.
President Tinubu approved the funding on June 9, 2026, alongside the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats.
According to the State House announcement, the intervention was intended to strengthen the NCDC’s operational preparedness and support critical national public health emergency response activities.
Idris maintained that the allocation was necessary because Nigeria faces multiple infectious disease threats requiring sustained investment in surveillance, diagnostics, healthcare infrastructure and emergency response.
He also disclosed that implementing Nigeria’s National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS 2.0), covering 2025 to 2029, would require approximately ₦522 billion over five years.
This translates to an average annual requirement of ₦104.4 billion, meaning the ₦10 billion intervention represents about two per cent of the estimated yearly cost of the plan.
The NCDC chief further provided details of the agency’s previous government allocations, stating that its funding increased from ₦4 billion in 2024 to ₦7 billion in 2025, alongside an additional ₦5 billion intervention fund that year.
He added that the 2026 Appropriation provided ₦22 billion for the agency.
On the utilisation of the emergency funding, Idris said the money was released directly to the NCDC and not to the Presidential Task Force on Ebola.
He, however, did not specify when the ₦10 billion was eventually released.
The latest clarification also raises questions about the timing of the disbursement, as Idris had reportedly told journalists during a press conference on October 25 that the intervention fund had not been released to the agency at the time.
Meanwhile, the NCDC boss stressed that Nigeria’s health security needs extend beyond responding to individual outbreaks, calling for sustained investment from the Federal Government, state governments and development partners.
He said the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board estimates that countries require between $1 and $2 per person annually to achieve an acceptable level of epidemic preparedness.
Applying the estimate to Nigeria’s population of approximately 240 million, he said the country would require between $240 million and $480 million annually.
Idris urged Nigerians and other stakeholders to recognise the importance of investing in disease prevention and emergency preparedness, warning that the consequences of failing to contain outbreaks could outweigh the cost of prevention.
