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By Doris Obinna
The Lagos State Government has intensified efforts to prevent the importation of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) into Nigeria, with a high-level preparedness inspection at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, amid concerns over a resurgence of the disease in East Africa.
The delegation, which visited the airport on Saturday, was led by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, and included the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Dayo Lajide; and officials of the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre. The team met with airport authorities, the Port Health Services, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to review surveillance, screening and emergency response measures.
Abayomi recalled Nigeria’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014 after the disease was imported into Lagos from Liberia, paying tribute to healthcare workers, including the late Dr Ameyo Adadevoh, whose efforts helped stop the outbreak.
He noted that MMIA handles about 70 per cent of international passenger traffic into Nigeria, making it the country’s most critical point of entry for disease surveillance.
“Our objective is to create a bottleneck for the virus, not for passengers,” he said, stressing the need for stronger systems for the early detection, isolation and monitoring of suspected cases.
The commissioner added that lessons from both the Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of close collaboration between state and federal agencies in managing public health threats.
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On her part, Ogunyemi stressed that effective disease prevention and control depend on shared responsibility and strong collaboration among government agencies and health stakeholders. She explained that the visit was aimed at assessing preparedness measures and reassuring airport frontline workers of the Lagos State Government’s support in safeguarding public health.
Lajide emphasised that safeguarding the health of frontline responders is essential to protecting travellers, airport personnel and the country, particularly in strengthening preparedness against public health threats such as EVD.
The Airport Manager and Regional General Manager, South-West MMIA, Olatokunbo Arewa, said additional preparedness infrastructure, including touchless hand-sanitiser dispensers and temperature-screening equipment, had been deployed, while authorities were considering dedicated processing channels for passengers arriving from high-risk countries.
The Head of Port Health Services at MMIA, Dr Lawal Abdullahi, disclosed that the airport updated its Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan on 18 March 2026 and activated its emergency management team ahead of the recent Ebola developments. He added that passenger surveillance information was being shared with Lagos State epidemiology teams to strengthen monitoring and follow-up activities.
The NCAA’s Aeromedical Assessor, Dr Abayomi Asunbo, said airlines operating designated routes had been directed to comply fully with public health protocols before passengers would be permitted into Nigeria, while FAAN officials disclosed that staff training, personal protective equipment and multilingual public health awareness materials were being expanded to boost preparedness.
The inspection ended with a tour of key airport facilities, as state and federal authorities reaffirmed their commitment to coordinated surveillance and rapid response measures aimed at protecting Lagos and the country from Ebola and other infectious disease threats.
