ABUJA, FCT — The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a ₦45.8 billion biosecurity and disease-surveillance system for five international airports as Nigeria seeks to strengthen its capacity to detect Ebola and other dangerous infectious diseases entering the country.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed the approval on Wednesday.
Pate made the disclosure while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to Pate, the project will be implemented through a 20-year public-private partnership (PPP) concession awarded to BioHealth Consortium.
The system is designed to improve early detection of infectious disease threats, strengthen coordination among public-health agencies and reduce the risk of outbreaks spreading through international travel and cargo.
The approval comes amid renewed concern about Ebola preparedness and the need to strengthen surveillance at Nigeria’s borders.
Five International Airports to Benefit Biosecurity Systems
Pate identified the five airports selected for the initial deployment of the biosecurity systems as:
- Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos
- Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja
- Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano
- Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State
- Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu
The minister said more than 18 million passengers pass through Nigerian airports annually.
That makes effective surveillance at international entry points important to protecting public health and economic activity.
He explained that the new system would provide technology-driven tools to identify potential biological threats and support a faster response when suspicious findings are detected.
“Since COVID, we have known that there are significant vulnerabilities in terms of public health threats crossing borders and the need for coordinated, technology-driven systems for early warning, detection and response to emerging infectious disease threats,” Pate said.
Biosecurity System to Detect More Than Ebola
Although the approval has been widely linked to concerns about Ebola, Pate said the proposed system would monitor a broader range of dangerous pathogens.
The biosecurity systems technologies will reportedly include:
- Aircraft wastewater surveillance: Testing wastewater associated with aircraft to help identify pathogens linked to incoming travel.
- Air and surface sampling: Collecting samples from selected environments to detect potential biological threats.
- Cargo and baggage surveillance: Using specialised equipment to monitor cargo and baggage for possible biological hazards.
- Rapid diagnostic laboratories: Providing facilities for testing and investigating suspected pathogens at points of entry.
- A National Surveillance Operations Centre: Coordinating information, monitoring incidents and supporting timely responses to emerging threats.
The technologies are intended to complement existing public-health screening and surveillance arrangements.
Wastewater, air and surface sampling can provide useful early-warning information.
However, positive findings may require laboratory confirmation and epidemiological investigation before authorities can determine whether a person or location presents a specific public-health risk.
The system is therefore expected to operate as part of a wider surveillance and response network rather than replace clinical testing, contact tracing or other established public-health measures.
BioHealth Consortium to Operate Under 20-Year Concession
Under the approved arrangement, BioHealth Consortium will reportedly be responsible for designing, financing, building, operating and maintaining the facilities throughout the 20-year concession period.
The Federal Government will retain policy, institutional and regulatory oversight of the biosecurity systems.
Pate said the assets would revert to the government at the end of the concession, in accordance with the agreement reviewed and endorsed by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
The public-private partnership model is intended to provide a framework for developing and maintaining specialised infrastructure.
Meanwhile, it will also allocate defined responsibilities between the government and private-sector partner.
However, the approval announcement did not provide a complete breakdown of the project’s financing structure and the proposed payment schedule.
It does not also provide the private partner’s expected returns or the performance targets against which the concession will be assessed.
Those details will be important in evaluating the project’s cost, value for money and long-term sustainability.
Health Agencies to Coordinate Surveillance
Pate said the surveillance biosecurity facilities would work in coordination with relevant public institutions, including:
- Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC)
- Port Health Services
- Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)
- Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS)
- National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
The collaboration is intended to improve information-sharing.
It will also ensure that suspected threats detected at airports can be investigated and managed by the appropriate agencies.
Effective coordination will be particularly important when a suspected pathogen is detected.
This because a laboratory result alone may not establish the source of infection, the level of risk to the public or whether an outbreak is occurring.
A rapid and coordinated response could help authorities assess suspected cases, trace contacts where necessary and implement appropriate containment measures.
Ebola Concerns Highlight Need for Stronger Border Controls
The minister said the initiative was informed partly by lessons from Nigeria’s recent response to the Ebola threat.
On October 23, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare issued a directive.
It urged relevant agencies and institutions to comply strictly with approved Ebola entry protocols at Nigeria’s points of entry.
The directive followed concerns communicated by the Office of the National Security Adviser regarding reported non-compliance with existing protocols.
The ministry called for consistent screening, health declarations, surveillance, and prompt reporting of breaches.
It further called for stronger coordination among the institutions responsible for enforcing the measures.
The new airport biosecurity system is intended to strengthen Nigeria’s ability to detect infectious threats before they develop into wider public-health emergencies.
Pate also reported that an Ebola patient identified in October had recovered, while health authorities continued contact tracing and other containment measures.
He said the government wanted to prevent community transmission and was monitoring people identified as contacts of the patient.
Government Defends Support for People in Quarantine
Pate also addressed government assistance for people placed in isolation or quarantine after being identified as contacts of the Ebola patient.
He explained that people required to remain in quarantine could lose their daily earnings and struggle to support their families, potentially making compliance more difficult.
According to the minister, financial support was intended to help affected individuals comply with public-health requirements and reduce the risk of further transmission.
He said authorities were concerned that people who depend on daily income might evade quarantine if they could not meet their basic needs.
The minister described the biosecurity intervention as a targeted public-health measure intended to support containment efforts.
The details of the assistance, including the eligibility criteria and total expenditure, were not fully specified in the reports reviewed for this article.
Questions Over Cost, Accountability and Implementation of Biosecurity Systems
The approval for the biosecurity systems marks a major planned investment in disease surveillance.
Meanwhile, the project’s effectiveness will depend on transparent procurement, reliable technology, trained personnel and measurable performance.
Several issues warrant public clarification as implementation proceeds.
First, the project cost: Government disclosures should reconcile the announced amount and provide a breakdown of the cost of equipment, laboratories, operations, maintenance and other components.
Second, the concession agreement: The public should be able to understand how the 20-year arrangement allocates costs, risks, revenues, responsibilities and performance obligations between the government and BioHealth Consortium.
Third, operational readiness: The government should specify when each airport is expected to become operational under the new system and how performance will be measured.
Fourth, technical standards: Authorities should explain how the system will confirm suspected pathogen detections, protect passenger information and prevent false alarms from disrupting travel unnecessarily.
Fifth, accountability: Independent oversight and regular performance reporting would help establish whether the facilities deliver the intended improvements in disease detection and response.
These questions do not negate the public-health rationale for strengthening airport surveillance. They concern the need to ensure that public investment produces verifiable results.
Outlook
The FEC’s approval of the airport biosecurity project represents a planned expansion of Nigeria’s capacity to detect infectious diseases at international entry points.
The proposed system will combine environmental sampling, pathogen detection, and diagnostic facilities.
It will also combine coordinated surveillance across five major airports, with BioHealth Consortium expected to operate the facilities under a 20-year concession.
The initiative is intended to improve preparedness against Ebola and other dangerous pathogens, while supporting a more coordinated response to emerging public-health threats.
Its eventual impact will depend on how quickly the facilities become operational and the quality of the technology deployed.
Its impact will also depend on coordination among agencies and the transparency of the concession arrangement.
For Nigerians, the key test will be whether the investment strengthens early detection and public-health protection in measurable ways.
