By Aaron Ossai
The House of Representatives has called on the Executive Arm of Government to urgently release adequate funds to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as provided in the Appropriations Acts, warning that the agency’s operations could be hampered by outstanding liabilities.
The resolution followed a motion on the need to strengthen the country’s disease surveillance and response mechanisms amid growing public health concerns sponsored by Hon. Amobi Ogah.
Further, the House urged the Federal Government to ensure prompt release of appropriated funds to the NCDC to enable the agency to settle its financial obligations and maintain uninterrupted operations in the discharge of its mandate.
Lawmakers also mandated the House Committee on Infectious Diseases to facilitate, monitor and ensure the proper utilization of any funds released to the Centre.
The Committee was further directed to report back to the House for any additional legislative action deemed necessary.
To bolster the nation’s preparedness against the spread of infectious diseases, the House called on Port Health Authorities to intensify surveillance activities and strengthen checks at the country’s borders, airports and seaports to prevent the entry of infected persons into Nigeria.
The lawmakers stressed the importance of sustained funding and enhanced surveillance measures in safeguarding public health and strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to prevent and respond effectively to disease outbreaks.
In addition, the House tasked its Committee on Legislative Compliance with ensuring strict adherence to the resolutions and directives contained in the motion.
Leading debate on the general principles of the motion, its sponsor, Hon. Amobi Ogah recalled that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is the National Public Health Institute responsible for responding to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.
According to him in 15th May 2026, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reported an outbreak of Ebola disease in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (just two steps from Nigeria.
“This rare and distinct strain of Ebola virus, the Bundibugyo Strain, is causing a major public health emergency in Central Africa and may spread to other parts of Africa soon because of the porous nature of our borders and lack of strict cross-border checks”, he said.
He expressed concern that the new version of the virus currently does not have any licensed vaccines or targeted medical therapies to mitigate it.
