Lagos Govt, tightens surveillance across airports, land borders
The Lagos State Government has heightened surveillance and preparedness measures across airports, land borders and other points of entry into the state following renewed concerns over the resurgence of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in parts of East and Central Africa.
The decision adopted by the government came amid growing international concern over fresh Ebola outbreaks in some African countries and renewed calls for heightened vigilance across borders.
As part of efforts to prevent the importation of the deadly virus into Nigeria, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, yesterday led a high-powered delegation on an extensive inspection and preparedness tour of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, where authorities reviewed existing disease surveillance systems, emergency response protocols and passenger screening mechanisms.
Abayomi said Lagos was determined to build on the lessons learnt from the successful containment of Ebola in 2014, when the state prevented what could have become a devastating national outbreak following the importation of the virus into the country through Lagos.
“Almost eleven years ago, we experienced the importation of Ebola into Lagos during the largest Ebola outbreak in recorded history. Through swift action and the sacrifices of dedicated health workers, including the late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, we were able to contain the disease,” the commissioner said.
He noted that increasing global travel and cross-border movement have continued to heighten the risks posed by infectious diseases such as Ebola, COVID-19 and Lassa fever, making constant preparedness imperative.
According to him, Lagos is strengthening systems for early detection, rapid isolation and safe evacuation of suspected cases, while enhancing digital surveillance and monitoring mechanisms for travellers arriving from countries considered high-risk.
Abayomi described MMIA as Nigeria’s most strategic entry point, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of international passenger traffic into the country.
“The primary purpose of our visit is to identify existing gaps, strengthen collaboration and ensure that every necessary measure is in place to stop the virus before it enters our communities. Our objective is to create a bottleneck for the virus, not for passengers,” he said.
The commissioner disclosed that surveillance measures are also being expanded beyond the airports to cover land borders and other entry routes into Lagos, in collaboration with federal health and security agencies.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, stressed that disease prevention remains a shared responsibility requiring coordination among all levels of government and health institutions.
She described frontline personnel at ports of entry as critical to the state’s disease surveillance architecture, noting that airport and border officials often serve as the first line of defence against imported infections.
“The frontline begins here. The people who interact first with arriving passengers play a crucial role in protecting public health and national security,” she said.
Airport authorities assured the delegation that additional screening and preparedness measures had already been activated.
Airport Manager and Regional General Manager, South-West MMIA, Olatokunbo Arewa, said the airport had commenced the deployment of touchless hand-sanitiser systems, temperature-detection equipment and enhanced passenger screening infrastructure.
He revealed that authorities were also considering dedicated processing channels for passengers arriving from countries identified as high-risk in order to strengthen monitoring and surveillance efforts.
The Head of Port Health Services at MMIA, Dr. Lawal Abdullahi, disclosed that the airport’s Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan was reviewed and updated in March, while the Airport Public Health Emergency Management Team had already been activated.
According to him, risk assessments have been conducted to identify countries of concern, while passenger screening systems and information-sharing arrangements with Lagos State epidemiology teams have been strengthened.
Officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other stakeholders also reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining strict compliance with public health protocols and improving coordination among agencies.