The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to place 46 people identified as contacts of an Ebola patient on a no-fly list for at least 21 days, as authorities intensify efforts to contain the disease following a confirmed case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Keyamo disclosed this in a statement posted on his verified X account following a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.
He said he had also directed FAAN to strengthen Ebola surveillance and response protocols at all international airports, including enhanced health screening, temperature checks and travel history monitoring.
According to Keyamo, the health minister provided a list of 44 people who came into contact with an affected female patient at a hospital after she developed symptoms of Ebola, as well as two members of her domestic staff.
“This evening, I held a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate over the Ebola scourge,” Keyamo said.
“He shared with me a list of 44 persons with whom the affected person came in contact at the hospital when she had developed the symptoms and an additional two persons who are her domestic staff.”
Keyamo explained that aviation authorities had been directed to prevent the 46 individuals from travelling by air for at least 21 days, the period during which symptoms of Ebola may develop following exposure.
“Whilst efforts are ongoing to isolate them for now until there is certainty they had not been infected with the virus, the Aviation authorities are required to put them on a no-fly list for at least 21 days (which is the period that the symptoms are normally expected to manifest),” he said.
He added that he had directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to immediately notify domestic and international airlines of the restriction.
“I have therefore directed the NCAA to immediately inform all local and international airlines of this development,” he stated.
The minister also instructed FAAN to intensify health surveillance and Ebola response measures at international airports nationwide.
According to him, the authority had already introduced enhanced health screening, temperature checks, travel history tracking and digital health declarations.
“I have also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to heighten Ebola response and surveillance protocols across all international airports,” he said.
“Measures already being implemented by FAAN include enhanced health screenings, temperature checks, travel history tracking, digital health declarations, and strict inter-agency coordination with the NCDC following regional outbreak alerts earlier.”
Keyamo’s statement did not identify the affected patient, disclose the location of the hospital where the contacts occurred or specify whether the infection was contracted in Nigeria.
It also did not indicate that any of the 46 identified contacts had tested positive for Ebola.
FAAN heightens vigilance across airports
The development came after FAAN said on Wednesday that it was maintaining heightened vigilance across airport operations.
The agency said it was working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Port Health Services, the NCAA and other relevant agencies to support ongoing containment efforts.
FAAN said the early identification of the case and the commencement of contact tracing underscored the importance of established public health protocols, effective surveillance and inter-agency collaboration in responding to potential health threats.
“FAAN is maintaining heightened vigilance across airport operations and will continue to coordinate with public health authorities, align its response with further guidance and support additional measures considered necessary to safeguard passengers, airport personnel and the wider public,” the agency said in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire.
It urged passengers, airport users, airlines and other stakeholders to remain calm, vigilant and cooperative with health officials.
“The public is also advised to rely on verified information and avoid spreading unconfirmed reports,” the statement added.
“FAAN reassures the travelling public of its continued readiness to work with relevant agencies to protect public health and support the safe operation of Nigeria’s airports.”
The Federal Government confirmed a case of Ebola in the FCT on Wednesday.
FG assures Nigerians of containment measures
The Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness, Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats has assured Nigerians that the country has the capacity to respond to the outbreak.
The task force chairman and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, gave the assurance while speaking to journalists after the committee’s emergency meeting at the State House on Wednesday.
Gbajabiamila said the task force had been working behind the scenes since its inauguration in June, adding that its preparedness had helped facilitate the swift identification of the index case.
“It’s very important to note this. Since the issue of Ebola came up in June, there have been about 44,000 flights in and out of Nigeria. So, it’s because of what the Ministry of Health, the task force and all the agencies have been doing. All hands have been on deck,” he said.
He explained that the infected passenger had shown no symptoms when she arrived in Abuja, with symptoms developing four days later. He said the identification process and established protocols had enabled authorities to detect the case promptly.
“That also speaks to the country’s capacity and ability to deal with this disease as best as we can,” he said, according to a statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga.
Gbajabiamila assured Nigerians that the task force would strengthen existing protocols where necessary and ensure more rigorous enforcement of public health measures.
“The Task Force is on top of it. NCDC is on top of it; everyone is on deck. We must build community trust and avoid panic, but it’s also important to state clearly that this is a collaborative effort between the government and the people,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to comply with public health directives in the interest of public safety.
‘Nigeria has competent health authorities’
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, said Nigeria had competent health authorities and established surveillance systems capable of responding to the outbreak.
He said the country’s response involved private hospitals, government agencies, immigration and aviation authorities, the Ministry of Interior and state-level institutions.
“We have been conducting contact tracing diligently and isolating those contacts of the index imported case in this country. We will continue to do that, and we want to reassure Nigerians that the federal government, alongside its technical partners, the World Health Organisation, the Africa Centre for Disease Control, and our own Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, have activated the incident management system across the various pillars,” Pate said.
He added that response teams were working continuously and that hospital capabilities had been activated to support containment efforts.
“They are working day and night diligently, and our hospital capabilities are also activated, such that we can aim to contain this case, as has been the case in other countries, but we will not relent. Our population should respect public health directives,” he said.
Pate said most states had adequate response plans and that the government was mobilising the resources and capabilities needed to contain the outbreak.
He also urged Nigerians to avoid spreading misinformation and unverified reports that could trigger unnecessary panic.
“The key also for the population is to avoid spreading misinformation or baseless rumours, which can cause unnecessary panic. The Task Force leadership has met. WHO and Africa CDC are working closely with the team,” he said.
Referring to Nigeria’s experience in containing Ebola in 2014, Pate expressed confidence in the country’s public health expertise and response capacity.
“In addition to our exceptional public health physicians who had successfully tamed this virus in 2014 and had contributed to other countries, we are confident that if we continue in this direction, we will emerge out of this crisis in a much stronger place,” he said.
Other officials and representatives at the task force meeting included the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap; FAAN Managing Director, Bunmi Kuku; FAAN General Manager, Adamu Adamu; World Health Organisation representative, Pavel Ursu; and Africa CDC Special Regional Representative to the Director-General, Aliko Ahmed.
