The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has led a high-powered delegation on a facility inspection and preparedness tour of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, amid growing concerns over the resurgence of Ebola in East Africa.
The delegation, which included the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Kemi Ogunyemi, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Dayo Lajide, Director Epidemiology Biosecurity and Global Health, Dr. Ismail Abdus-Salam and strategic leads of the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), was received by the Airport Manager and Regional General Manager, South-West MMIA, Mr. Olatokunbo Arewa, alongside key airport health and aviation officials.
Speaking during the engagement, Prof. Abayomi recalled Nigeria’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014 following the importation of the disease into Lagos, describing the experience as one of the most important public health lessons in the nation’s history.
Abayomi described MMIA as Nigeria’s most critical point of entry, accounting for about 70 per cent of international passenger traffic into the country, and therefore representing 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 stated.
The Commissioner advocated exploring measures that would minimise interaction between passengers arriving from designated high-risk locations and other travellers, while maintaining efficient passenger flow through the airport.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, said the visit was not only intended to assess preparedness measures but also to reassure frontline personnel working at the airport that they have the support of the Lagos State Government in protecting public health.
Earlier, Airport Manager and Regional General Manager, South-West MMIA, Mr. Olatokunbo Arewa, reiterated the airport’s commitment to ensuring that Ebola does not gain entry into Nigeria through the country’s busiest aviation gateway.
He disclosed that the airport had already commenced the deployment of additional preparedness infrastructure, including touchless hand-sanitiser dispensing systems and temperature-detection equipment, while plans were underway to further strengthen screening operations.
Arewa noted that MMIA’s longstanding collaboration with Lagos State Government dates back to the COVID-19 era and expressed confidence that the partnership would continue to play a pivotal role in responding to emerging public health threats.
“We would like this collaboration to continue, particularly in emergency response. Ebola is a highly dangerous disease and any suspected case must be isolated quickly and professionally to prevent transmission,” he said.
The Airport Manager further revealed that authorities were exploring the possibility of establishing dedicated arrival processing channels for passengers arriving from high-risk countries as part of efforts to enhance surveillance and screening activities.
Providing an update on airport preparedness, the Head of Port Health Services at MMIA, Dr. Lawal Abdullahi, disclosed that the airport had reviewed and updated its Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan as far back as March 18, 2026, ahead of the recent Ebola developments in East Africa.
He explained that the Airport Public Health Emergency Management Team had since been activated and that a comprehensive risk assessment was conducted to identify countries of concern and guide surveillance measures at the airport.
According to Abdullahi, Port Health Services developed and deployed a passenger screening mechanism before the activation of the national health declaration platform, while relevant information gathered from travellers was routinely shared with Lagos State epidemiology and surveillance teams.
He added that discussions were ongoing regarding improved access to passenger surveillance information by state authorities to strengthen follow-up activities and ensure seamless coordination between national and sub-national public health institutions.
The General Manager, Aviation Medical Services, Federal Airport Authority (FAAN), Dr. Bilkis Ibrahim, assured the delegation that collaboration among FAAN, Port Health Services, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and other airport stakeholders remained strong, with continuous information sharing and coordinated planning efforts.
She disclosed that additional personal protective equipment, awareness materials, multilingual public health messages and staff training programmes were being deployed to strengthen preparedness and ensure airport personnel remain fully informed and equipped.
Similarly, the Aeromedical Assessor of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Abayomi Asunbo, announced that the NCAA had issued directives requiring all airlines operating designated routes to comply fully with public health protocols before passengers are permitted into Nigeria.
Also speaking, the Head of Department, Medical Services, MMIA, Dr. Uche Ofoegbu, said airport stakeholders had intensified sensitisation activities, awareness campaigns and dissemination of educational materials to ensure all personnel understand their roles in surveillance, infection prevention, isolation and emergency response.
