President Bola Tinubu has approved N45 billion for the deployment of an integrated biosecurity and disease surveillance system at five international airports to boost Nigeria’s capacity to detect and respond to emerging infectious disease threats.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Tinubu.
He listed the five airports as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu airports.
According to the minister, the project will be delivered through a 20-year public-private partnership with the BioHealth Consortium, using technologies such as aircraft wastewater surveillance, air and surface sampling, and specialised pathogen detection systems.
Pate added that the system would monitor a broad range of dangerous pathogens, improve inter-agency coordination, and strengthen health security at Nigeria’s borders.
