The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved an emergency allowance of ₦100,000 per person weekly for eligible individuals placed under isolation or quarantine as authorities intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in Abuja.

The NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, announced the intervention during a press briefing on Sunday, October 25, 2026, saying it followed complaints from people under public health monitoring about the cost of supporting their families.

Idris said the agency was already covering accommodation and feeding but introduced the additional payment to ease the financial burden on affected individuals.

“We are paying for their accommodation; we are paying for their feeding. Some of them are asking for a stipend to maintain their families,” he said.

He added that the agency would continue to review the arrangement as the outbreak response progressed.

“This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along,” Idris stated.

NCDC Calls On States To Prepare

The NCDC chief urged state governments to make adequate financial and logistical provisions for managing public health emergencies, stressing that support for people affected by outbreaks should not be limited to the Federal Capital Territory.

“This is not the responsibility of the FCT alone. What we have to do for the FCT, we have to do for any other state, just in case,” he said.

The intervention comes days after Nigeria confirmed an imported case of Ebola in Abuja on October 20.

As of Sunday’s briefing, Nigeria had recorded one confirmed case, with 53 primary contacts identified for monitoring. The contacts reportedly include healthcare workers, household members, domestic staff and personnel involved in collecting samples from the patient.

One Contact Tests Negative

Idris said public health teams were assessing the identified contacts according to their levels of exposure and monitoring them for symptoms throughout the 21-day incubation period following their last possible exposure.

He disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative for Ebola, while surveillance and follow-up activities continued.

The confirmed case involves a woman who travelled to Nigeria from Uganda and tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.

She reportedly developed symptoms on October 7, sought medical attention at a healthcare facility in Abuja on October 11 and received laboratory confirmation of the infection on October 20.

The World Health Organisation has identified the infection as an imported case, while investigations continue to establish the likely source of exposure.

Authorities Strengthen Response Measures

The NCDC said it was intensifying infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities, including training health workers and supporting the availability of protective equipment and laboratory supplies.

Idris said Nigeria was applying lessons from its successful containment of the 2014 Ebola outbreak to the current response.

He urged Nigerians to cooperate with public health officials, support contact-tracing efforts and avoid spreading unverified information.

The ₦100,000 weekly allowance is intended for eligible individuals affected by the current isolation and quarantine arrangements. It is not a general payment to all Abuja residents or Nigerians nationwide.