By Ruth Eke
The Senate has urged the Federal Government to make health screening mandatory for all arriving international passengers at airports, seaports and designated land borders to prevent the importation of Ebola and other epidemic-prone diseases into the country.
The Senate called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and Port Health Services to ensure that all arriving passengers complete health declaration forms and undergo temperature checks and symptom screening.
It also called for enhanced screening of travellers who have visited or transited through affected areas within the previous 21 days, regardless of their nationality or country of departure.
The Senate further recommended exit screening for departing passengers during any declared public health emergency.
The lawmakers urged the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, to release emergency funds from the service-wide votes to provide the necessary resources for relevant agencies to contain the disease.
They also called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigeria Immigration Service to adequately staff and equip all entry points with trained Port Health officers, thermal scanners, protective equipment and isolation rooms.
The Senate further urged the government to ensure that isolation and treatment centres were ready across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The resolutions followed a motion titled, “Urgent Need to Enforce Mandatory Health Screening at All International Airports and Other Entry Points to Prevent the Importation of Ebola and Other Epidemic-Prone Diseases into Nigeria,” sponsored by Senator Francis Adedayo Faduyile, representing Ondo South Senatorial District.
The Upper Chamber also called on the National Assembly to work with the Ministry of Health to repeal and reenact the Quarantine Act of 1926, replacing it with a modern public health law in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005).
The Senate urged Nigerians to remain conscious of the public health situation and maintain appropriate hygiene measures, including making hand sanitisers available at event centres, institutions and other public places.
However, the lawmakers rejected a motion seeking to mandate the Committees on Health, Primary Healthcare Development and Disease Control, Aviation, Interior, and Appropriations to liaise with relevant agencies, visit principal entry points and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
The Senate instead mandated its Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure the implementation of the resolutions.
The motion followed reports of a suspected Ebola case involving a female traveller who reportedly arrived in Abuja from Uganda, East Africa.
Presenting the motion, Faduyile said the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had raised serious concerns about the risk of the disease spreading to other countries.
He noted that the outbreak had spread to Uganda and, on October 6, 2026, to Kenya, through a traveller who reportedly travelled by road from the DRC to Kampala before flying to Nairobi.
According to him, the development demonstrates how infected persons could travel through third countries before reaching their final destinations.
The senator said the NCDC had rated the risk of Ebola being imported into Nigeria as high, recalling that a single traveller brought the disease into the country through Lagos Airport in July 2014.
He commended the Federal Government for introducing health declaration forms, establishing a Presidential Task Force and strengthening screening at entry points.
However, he expressed concern that the screening requirements had been narrowed on September 22, 2026, to travellers from listed countries, excluding Kenya.
He also raised concerns over inadequate Port Health personnel and equipment at departure halls and other entry points, adding that Port Health Services continued to operate under the Quarantine Act of 1926.
Faduyile further warned that Nigeria was already grappling with other infectious diseases, including Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria.
He cited figures in the motion indicating that Nigeria had recorded 1,138 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 268 deaths in 2026, with Ondo State identified as the worst-hit state.
The motion also cited more than 65,000 suspected cholera cases and over 10,000 confirmed cases of diphtheria.
The senator stressed the need to strengthen border health surveillance in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), without imposing travel bans or discriminating against travellers.
