• The House of Representatives have raised concerns over the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control funding shortages
• The lawmakers warned that inadequate funding could weaken Nigeria’s preparedness for an Ebola outbreak
• The Reps urged immediate release of appropriated funds to strengthen disease surveillance and outbreak response

The House of Representatives has expressed concern over what lawmakers described as a serious funding crisis affecting the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

During plenary on Tuesday, June 2, lawmakers warned that inadequate funding could undermine the agency’s ability to respond effectively to a potential Ebola outbreak and other public health emergencies.

Leading the debate, the member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency, Amobi Ogah, referenced reports of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo and highlighted the risks such outbreaks pose to Nigeria.

He noted that the NCDC had already placed the country on high alert over the possibility of Ebola importation but questioned whether the agency had sufficient resources to sustain preparedness efforts.

“It is known that the NCDC received no operational funding in 2025, with no capital releases made to date against the approved 2026 allocation,” Ogah said.

He further argued that irregular and inadequate releases have severely constrained the agency’s ability to perform critical functions, including disease surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, emergency response coordination and outbreak preparedness.

The lawmaker also raised concerns about shortages of laboratory reagents and diagnostic materials, stalled projects, weak biosafety infrastructure and unpaid contractors, warning that such challenges could weaken Nigeria’s health security framework.

Nigeria earned global recognition in 2014 for successfully containing an Ebola outbreak after an infected traveller entered the country from Liberia.

Public health experts have repeatedly stressed that maintaining such response capacity requires sustained investment in surveillance systems, laboratory networks and emergency preparedness programmes.

Following the motion’s adoption, the House urged the Federal Government to immediately release funds allocated to the NCDC to strengthen its operations and improve national outbreak preparedness.

Lawmakers also directed port health authorities to intensify surveillance at all entry points and mandated relevant committees to monitor fund utilisation and ensure compliance with the resolutions.

Ebola emergency watch begins in Lagos, FCT, eight states over deadly new strain

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had placed Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, and eight other states on high Ebola alert following the outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola Virus Disease in parts of East and Central Africa.

The NCDC warned that Nigeria faces a significant risk of importing the virus because of rising regional transmission, increased international travel, porous borders, and population movement across the continent.

The agency identified Lagos, the FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa as high-risk locations due to the presence of international airports, seaports, border routes, and heavy human traffic.