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Nigeria Could Declare Ebola Outbreak Over By December 7
The federal government on Monday expressed optimism that Nigeria could declare an end to the Ebola outbreak by December 7, provided no further confirmed or probable cases are detected, as the country’s index patient was evacuated abroad by air ambulance.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, who disclosed this, said the proposed date remained provisional and would depend on the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) validating the required 42-day countdown.
The development came as President Bola Tinubu declared that Africa could eradicate Ebola and other infectious diseases through sustained political commitment, adequate investment in public health, stronger institutions and regional collaboration.
Tinubu, who spoke at the 50th anniversary celebration and Annual General and Scientific Meeting of the West African College of Physicians (WACP) in Abuja, said Nigeria remained committed to strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory networks, emergency preparedness and cross-border cooperation.
Also, the NCDC’s decision to provide a weekly stipend of N100,000 to eligible contacts placed under isolation or quarantine attracted criticism from former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, who warned that the arrangement could encourage people to falsely claim exposure to Ebola to benefit from the payment.
In a statement posted on his verified X handle yesterday, Pate said the evacuation of the index patient on October 26 had not altered the government’s immediate priorities of monitoring identified contacts, investigating alerts and strengthening preparedness across health facilities.
“Following the imported Ebola index patient’s medical evacuation from Nigeria today, 26 October, our immediate priorities remain active monitoring of all identified contacts, prompt investigation of alerts and strengthened readiness across our health facilities,” he said.
Pate added: “If no further confirmed or probable cases are detected, Nigeria could progress towards declaring this outbreak over under @WHO criteria, potentially as early as 7 December 2026.”
He, however, cautioned that any additional case would require a fresh countdown in line with WHO criteria.
“Any further case would require a fresh countdown in accordance with those criteria,” the minister said.
He explained that federal health authorities were working with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) state health authorities and development partners to contain the outbreak and prevent community transmission.
“Our teams, working with Federal Capital Territory administration and state health authorities and our partners, remain focused on containment and preventing community transmission. I ask Nigerians to remain calm, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and follow regular updates from the ministry,” he added.
The index patient, a 42-year-old Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat, was evacuated from Abuja early yesterday aboard an air ambulance, confirming a THISDAY exclusive.
The medical evacuation took place through the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, where heightened security measures were put in place ahead of the aircraft’s departure.
Photographs obtained from the airport showed a convoy of ambulances and diplomatic vehicles arriving from the Abuja city centre at the General Aviation Terminal. The three-vehicle convoy included a vehicle belonging to an international agency, which proceeded into the airport’s private aviation section.
Airport officials subsequently cordoned off the private wing as arrangements for the evacuation continued. The video footage also showed the aircraft and members of its crew involved in transporting the patient.
A THISDAY source had disclosed that the federal government planned to announce the evacuation only after the aircraft had taken off and exited Nigerian airspace.
The evacuation came amid heightened attention to Nigeria’s Ebola preparedness and response, particularly the monitoring of contacts, isolation arrangements and efforts to prevent further transmission.
The NCDC had earlier announced that 53 contacts linked to the confirmed case in Abuja were being monitored. Its Director General, Dr Jide Idris, said the agency would provide eligible contacts with N100,000 weekly to cover feeding, accommodation and family support during the 21-day monitoring period.
But reacting to the arrangement, Sani warned that the payment could create an incentive for people to falsely claim they had been exposed to the virus.
“They should be careful because some people can come forward and claim they have the virus because of the 100k,” he wrote.
He urged the agency to ensure that beneficiaries were properly verified to prevent abuse of the emergency support arrangement.
At the WACP anniversary celebration, Tinubu, represented by Pate, said recent health emergencies had demonstrated that infectious diseases respected no national boundaries, making cooperation among African countries essential.
Against the background of the Ebola outbreak, the president said the continent needed sustained investment and stronger public health systems to prevent and contain infectious diseases.
“The vision of an Ebola-free West Africa and an Ebola-free Africa is achievable. It requires sustained political commitment and collaboration. Nigeria stands ready to work with WACP, ECOWAS, African Union, Africa CDC and partners,” he said.
Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to specialist medical training and efforts to address the migration of health professionals, popularly known as the Japa syndrome, while encouraging their eventual return to contribute to the country’s health system.
He said healthcare remained a key pillar of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that access to quality healthcare should not be restricted to a privileged few.
“Healthcare remains a key pillar of our administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda. We firmly believe that quality healthcare is not a privilege reserved for a few, but a fundamental right,” he said.
The president listed investments in the construction, rehabilitation and equipping of health facilities, the expansion and modernisation of specialist and tertiary institutions, the revitalisation of thousands of primary healthcare centres, increased financing through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and expanded health insurance coverage among the government’s interventions.
He added that more than 30,000 health professionals had been recruited into federal health facilities in the last two and a half years, while tens of thousands of frontline workers had been trained.
According to him, quotas for medical education have also been doubled, with digital technology being deployed to improve disease surveillance and patient records.
“Through these reforms, Nigeria is increasingly positioning itself as a healthcare destination and regional hub,” he said.
The WACP President, Dr Mamadou Ka, described the golden jubilee as an opportunity to reflect on the college’s achievements and renew its commitment to improving healthcare across West Africa.
He recalled that the college’s founding fathers had envisaged an institution that would advance postgraduate medical education and improve healthcare delivery across the region.
Over five decades, he said, the college had trained thousands of specialists who had contributed to clinical practice, education, research and health leadership.
Ka identified the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, persistent infectious diseases and inequalities in access to healthcare as major challenges requiring stronger postgraduate education, research and regional collaboration.
He urged the college to embrace technology while preserving the human values essential to medical practice.
The WACP Vice President, Prof. Benjamin Uzochukwu, said the institution had grown from an initiative involving five English-speaking West African countries into a regional body encompassing English-, French- and Portuguese-speaking countries.
He disclosed that as of April 2026, the college had produced more than 40,000 fellows and over 4,000 members.
The institution currently has six faculties covering community health, family medicine, internal medicine, laboratory medicine, paediatrics and psychiatry, as well as 13 national chapters across 15 West African countries, with its headquarters in Lagos.
Uzochukwu said the anniversary programme included a medical outreach held in Waru, Garki District, Abuja, on October 24, during which specialist consultations were provided for conditions including anaemia, hydrocele and myoma.
He also recalled the unveiling of the 50th anniversary monument by the president of the ECOWAS Commission during a welcome cocktail on October 25, as well as the conferment of an honorary fellowship on Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
According to him, Tinubu had challenged the college to provide a concise position on addressing the migration of medical professionals, with its recommendations expected to offer evidence-based guidance to governments on retaining and motivating physicians.
Uzochukwu added that the college was working with the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC on health screening and hygiene measures.
The high point of the anniversary was the induction of 319 fellows and 283 new members of the college.
In a goodwill message, the President of the Royal College of Physicians, London, Prof. Mumtaz Patel, described WACP as an important institutional partner, noting that both organisations faced challenges relating to workforce recruitment, retention, wellbeing and equitable access to compassionate care.
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