…Lagos Health Commissioner leads preparedness inspection as East Africa outbreak heightens concerns
…State, FAAN, Port Health, NCAA deepen collaboration to strengthen surveillance, response
By Kingsley Samuel
The Lagos State Government has intensified measures to prevent the importation of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, into Nigeria, as the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, led a high-level delegation on an inspection and preparedness tour of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos.
The visit comes amid growing concerns over the resurgence of Ebola in parts of East Africa and the increasing risk posed by international travel.
The delegation included the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Dayo Lajide; Director of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health, Dr. Ismail Abdus-Salam; and strategic leads of the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, PHEOC.
They were received by the Airport Manager and Regional General Manager, South-West MMIA, Mr. Olatokunbo Arewa, alongside officials from airport health and aviation agencies.
During the visit, the teams reviewed passenger movement systems, infection prevention and control measures, emergency response protocols, and opportunities for enhanced collaboration to prevent the entry of Ebola and other infectious diseases into the country.
Speaking during the engagement, Abayomi recalled Nigeria’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014 after the disease was imported into Lagos from Liberia during the largest Ebola outbreak in recorded history.”Almost eleven years ago, we experienced the importation of Ebola into Lagos from Liberia.
We were able to contain what became a relatively small outbreak in Lagos, thanks to the sacrifices of dedicated healthcare workers, including the late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh,” he said.
According to him, the experience remains a critical reminder of the need for continuous preparedness, particularly as diseases such as Ebola, COVID-19 and Lassa fever continue to pose threats in an increasingly interconnected world.
He noted that lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic strengthened collaboration between Lagos State and federal agencies operating at MMIA, helping to establish one of the country’s most effective passenger surveillance systems.
Describing MMIA as Nigeria’s most important international gateway, handling about 70 percent of the country’s international passenger traffic, Abayomi said the airport remains the most likely route through which imported infections could enter Nigeria.
“The primary purpose of our visit is to understand how we can support your efforts, identify existing gaps and jointly develop practical solutions. Our objective is to create a bottleneck for the virus, not for passengers,” he said.
He stressed the need to strengthen systems for early detection, rapid isolation and safe evacuation of suspected cases, while improving digital monitoring and follow-up mechanisms for travellers arriving from countries of concern.
Abayomi also advocated measures that would minimise interaction between passengers arriving from high-risk locations and other travellers while ensuring efficient passenger processing.
Also speaking, Ogunyemi described disease prevention and control as a collective responsibility requiring sustained collaboration among all stakeholders.
She said the visit was aimed not only at assessing preparedness measures but also at reassuring frontline workers of the Lagos State Government’s support.”
The frontline actually begins here at our ports of entry.
As passengers arrive, you are among the very first people to interact with them, making your role critical in our disease surveillance and response efforts,” she said.
Ogunyemi conveyed the goodwill of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to airport personnel and emphasised that health security remains a vital component of national security.
The Permanent Secretary, Dr. Dayo Lajide, commended the management of MMIA, Port Health Services, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and other agencies for their cooperation.
She praised frontline workers for their vigilance and professionalism in safeguarding the nation’s borders against infectious diseases and urged them to maintain strict compliance with infection prevention and control protocols.
“As frontline responders, your safety is paramount. Continue to follow all IPC measures diligently because while you are protecting Nigeria from potential health threats, you must also ensure that you are protected from exposure and risk,” she said.
Earlier, Airport Manager Arewa reiterated MMIA’s commitment to preventing Ebola from entering Nigeria through the country’s busiest airport.
He disclosed that the airport had commenced the deployment of additional preparedness infrastructure, including touchless hand-sanitiser dispensers and temperature-screening equipment, while plans were underway to further strengthen screening operations.
According to him, the longstanding collaboration between MMIA and the Lagos State Government, which was strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains crucial in responding to emerging public health threats.
“Ebola is a highly dangerous disease and any suspected case must be isolated quickly and professionally to prevent transmission,” he said.
Arewa also revealed that authorities were exploring the establishment of dedicated arrival channels for passengers arriving from high-risk countries to enhance surveillance and screening.
Providing an update on preparedness efforts, the Head of Port Health Services at MMIA, Dr. Lawal Abdullahi, disclosed that the airport reviewed and updated its Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan on March 18, 2026, ahead of the recent Ebola developments in East Africa.
He said the Airport Public Health Emergency Management Team had been activated and a comprehensive risk assessment conducted to identify countries of concern and guide surveillance measures.
According to him, Port Health Services had already deployed passenger screening mechanisms and routinely shared traveller information with Lagos State epidemiology and surveillance teams.
The General Manager, Aviation Medical Services, FAAN, Dr. Bilkis Ibrahim, assured the delegation that collaboration among FAAN, Port Health Services, NCAA and other airport stakeholders remained strong.She said additional personal protective equipment, public awareness materials, multilingual health messages and staff training programmes were being deployed to boost preparedness.
Similarly, the Aeromedical Assessor of NCAA, Dr. Abayomi Asunbo, disclosed that airlines operating designated routes had been directed to comply fully with public health protocols before passengers are allowed into Nigeria.
Also, the Head of Department, Medical Services, MMIA, Dr. Uche Ofoegbu, said airport stakeholders had intensified awareness campaigns and educational activities to ensure all personnel understood their roles in surveillance, infection prevention, isolation and emergency response.
The inspection concluded with a tour of key airport facilities and screening points, during which Lagos State officials, airport authorities and federal agencies reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration, information sharing and preparedness measures to protect Lagos and Nigeria from Ebola and other infectious disease outbreaks.
