By Stanley Nwanosike, Enugu/Folasade Akpan, Abuja
June 20, 2026
The Federal Government has appointed the Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, as member Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Prevention.
This is contained in an official communication made available to newsmen on Saturday in Enugu and issued by the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Femi Gbajabiamila.
Gbajabiamila, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness, noted that Prof. Ugwu’s clinical and first hand experience in battling the 2014 Ebola outbreak would be highly needed by the nation.
“Prof Ugwu, you will be part of the national task force comprising committees on border management, immigration control and disease surveillance, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) providing overall technical leadership and coordination.”
Responding to the appointment, Ugwu accepted to serve in the task force and had already been inaugurated at the Presidential Villa by the Chief of Staff to the President.
Ugwu’s appointment is in line with the priority the administration of Gov Peter Mbah placed on healthcare with emphasis in excellence.
The appointment highlights Enugu’s status as high risk of possible importation of the disease in view of her international airport especially as travellers from neighboring African countries and beyond come to Enugu directly through the airport.
In a related development the Federal Government has approved the release of N21.2 million in outbreak investigation and response funds, to each state to strengthen preparedness against the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and other public health threats.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen by Mr Ado Bako, Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Saturday in Abuja.
According to Bako, Prof. Mohammed Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, approved the disbursement of 50 per cent of the State Outbreak Investigation and Response Fund (S-OIRF) allocation.
He said the funds would be released through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) gateway of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
Bako said the intervention formed part of measures to strengthen Nigeria’s readiness against Ebola and other emerging public health threats.
He added that the approval complemented broader Federal Government efforts to strengthen national preparedness and response capacities.
According to the statement, the efforts include the activities of the multi-sectoral Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness and Other Health Threats.
Bako said that the task force would be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The spokesperson noted that although Nigeria had no confirmed case of the disease, the government was taking proactive measures to enhance preparedness.
He said the approval would enable states to access resources required to strengthen surveillance, preparedness and rapid response capacities during public health emergencies.
Bala further quoted Pate as directing all beneficiary states to retire both current and previously disbursed outbreak response funds within six months.
He said states must also ensure full compliance with established financial management, reporting and accountability requirements.
“This approval reflects our commitment to both health security and accountability.
“We will continue to support states to strengthen their capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats while ensuring transparency in the use of public resources,” the minister said.
Pate reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to safeguarding national health security through proactive preparedness, effective coordination and sustained investments in disease prevention, detection and response capacities nationwide.
