The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned that Nigeria needs approximately ₦522 billion over five years to adequately strengthen its capacity to prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks, describing the Federal Government’s ₦10 billion emergency intervention as only a fraction of the country’s wider health security requirements.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this while defending the ₦10 billion intervention fund approved by President Bola Tinubu in June 2026, amid public debate over Nigeria’s preparedness following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case.
Idris explained that the funding was not exclusively intended to combat Ebola but was designed to strengthen the country’s preparedness and response to multiple epidemic-prone diseases.
According to him, the intervention covers disease prevention, surveillance, early detection, rapid response and recovery, including threats such as Ebola, Lassa fever, cholera, cerebrospinal meningitis, diphtheria, measles, monkeypox and antimicrobial resistance.
He 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 funding requirement of ₦104.4 billion, meaning the ₦10 billion emergency intervention represents roughly two per cent of the plan’s average annual cost.
The NCDC chief stressed that the entire cost of implementing the national plan would not be financed through the agency alone, as several government institutions and sectors are involved in its execution.
Idris also clarified that the ₦10 billion was released directly to the NCDC and not to the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
He explained that the task force was established primarily to coordinate the national Ebola response, while the NCDC was responsible for strengthening the country’s broader technical and operational capacity to respond to public health emergencies.
Providing details of the agency’s funding, Idris said the NCDC’s budgetary allocation increased from ₦4 billion in 2024 to ₦7 billion in 2025, while the 2026 Appropriation provides ₦22 billion.
He added that the Federal Government had also approved a ₦5 billion intervention fund in 2025 before authorising the additional ₦10 billion emergency funding in June 2026.
Despite these allocations, he maintained that Nigeria’s health security funding gap remained substantial.
Citing estimates by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, Idris said countries require between one and two dollars per person annually to achieve an acceptable level of epidemic preparedness.
Applying the benchmark to Nigeria’s estimated population of about 240 million, he said the country would require between $240 million and $480 million annually.
The funding debate comes after Nigeria confirmed an imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease on October 20, 2026, following laboratory confirmation in Abuja.
Idris said there was no active Ebola case in the country as of the time of his latest statement, although identified contacts remained under surveillance until they completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms.
The NCDC has maintained that sustained investment by the Federal Government, state governments and development partners is essential to strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, emergency response systems and other critical public health infrastructure.
The agency’s warning raises important questions about Nigeria’s ability to finance preventive healthcare and emergency preparedness before outbreaks develop into national crises.
With infectious diseases continuing to threaten public health and economic stability, the challenge before the government is not simply approving emergency funds during outbreaks but establishing a reliable and sustainable financing system capable of protecting millions of Nigerians.
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