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The Federal Government has approved ₦45.08 billion for disease surveillance systems at five international airports under a 20-year public-private partnership.
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The project covers Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu, with wastewater monitoring, air and surface sampling, cargo screening and rapid diagnostic laboratories.
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A National Surveillance Operations Centre will coordinate real-time monitoring and responses involving health, customs, immigration and other relevant agencies.
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Health Minister Muhammad Pate confirms the recovery of Nigeria’s imported Ebola patient but says contact tracing and quarantine measures remain in place.
October 29, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has approved ₦45.08 billion for integrated biosecurity and disease surveillance systems at five international airports as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to detect and contain Ebola and other dangerous pathogens.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Pate said the project will be implemented under a 20-year public-private partnership concession awarded to the BioHealth Consortium, following the council’s approval of its full business case.
He said the initiative was designed to strengthen disease surveillance at Nigeria’s points of entry, improve early detection of infectious disease threats and enhance coordination among agencies responsible for public health and border security.
The minister said the project was informed partly by lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to address vulnerabilities that allow infectious diseases to cross international borders undetected.
“Over the last two weeks, I think you realise the significance of enhancing biosecurity at our points of entry,” the minister said.
He added that the pandemic had demonstrated the importance of technology-driven systems capable of providing early warnings, detecting emerging infectious disease threats and supporting coordinated responses.
Five International Airports to Benefit
The surveillance systems will be installed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Port Harcourt International Airport; and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
According to Pate, more than 18 million passengers pass through Nigeria’s airports annually, making effective surveillance at the facilities critical to national health security.
The systems will use aircraft wastewater monitoring to detect pathogens associated with arriving aircraft, alongside air and surface sampling equipment and specialised technologies for identifying potentially dangerous infectious agents.
The project will also incorporate technologies for monitoring cargo and baggage, while modern laboratories will be established to support rapid diagnostic testing at the points of entry.
Pate said the systems would monitor a broad range of pathogens and improve Nigeria’s capacity to identify potential outbreaks before they spread into communities.
A National Surveillance Operations Centre will also be established to coordinate real-time monitoring, integrate surveillance data, track incidents and support rapid responses to suspected disease outbreaks.
The facilities will be integrated with the operations of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Port Health Services, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The integration is expected to improve information-sharing and coordination among agencies responsible for monitoring travellers, goods and other potential sources of infectious disease threats.
BioHealth Consortium to Finance, Operate Facilities
Under the concession arrangement, the BioHealth Consortium will design, finance, build, operate and maintain the facilities throughout the 20-year concession period.
The Federal Government will provide policy direction, institutional support and regulatory oversight, while ownership of the assets will revert to the government at the end of the concession in accordance with the agreement.
Pate said the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission had reviewed and endorsed the agreement.
He described the project as an investment in Nigeria’s health and economic security, noting that infectious disease outbreaks could threaten public safety and disrupt economic activities.
The initiative is intended to provide a coordinated system for detecting emerging health threats, monitoring potential exposure at international gateways, and supporting timely interventions by relevant authorities.
The approval comes as Nigeria continues efforts to contain the risk associated with an imported case of Ebola confirmed in October.
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Ebola Patient Recovers, Contact Tracing Continues
The patient confirmed that Nigeria’s Ebola patient had recovered after receiving treatment in the country and was continuing to improve in Switzerland, where she was evacuated on October 26.
Nigeria confirmed the imported case on October 20, 2026, after laboratory tests detected the Bundibugyo virus in a woman who travelled to the country from Uganda through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The patient reportedly developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention in Abuja on October 11 before the infection was confirmed.
Following the confirmation, health authorities initiated contact tracing and other containment measures to identify people who might have been exposed to the virus and prevent further transmission.
Pate said the government was continuing to monitor identified contacts and investigate possible exposures, adding that the authorities were determined to prevent the infection from spreading beyond those already identified.
He said the contacts were required to undergo 21 days of quarantine, corresponding to Ebola’s incubation period of between two and 21 days.
“We are not taking any chances,” the minister said, explaining that health officials would continue monitoring the contacts and respond promptly to any suspected infection.
He added that the threat remained a concern because of the continued spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the possibility of other infectious diseases entering Nigeria.
The World Health Organisation has said Nigeria must complete 42 days without further confirmed or probable cases before the outbreak can be declared over.
FG Supports Ebola Contacts In Quarantine
The minister also explained the government’s decision to provide support to some people placed in isolation or quarantine after being identified as contacts of the Ebola patient.
He said the intervention was intended to encourage compliance with public health directives, particularly among people who depend on daily earnings to support their families.
According to him, some of the identified contacts included people who transported or interacted with the patient after she developed symptoms.
Pate said such individuals could face difficulties remaining in quarantine if they were unable to earn a living, potentially increasing the risk of non-compliance and community transmission.
“If you ask them to stay in quarantine, they have a livelihood and a family. They may find ways to evade it, and that will put everybody at risk,” he said.
He described the support as a targeted public health intervention designed to protect the wider population by ensuring that people who might have been exposed to the virus complied with quarantine requirements.
“It is a global public good, and it is circumscribed. By no means will it be applicable if we have the unfortunate situation of community transmission,” he said.
Pate said the government was pursuing a two-pronged approach involving the containment of the existing Ebola threat and the strengthening of border surveillance to prevent new cases from entering the country.
He expressed confidence that the airport biosecurity project would improve Nigeria’s capacity to detect infectious disease threats early, coordinate responses among relevant agencies, and prepare the country for future public health emergencies.
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