Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has constituted an Ebola Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee, with Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa, appointed as chairman, as the state moves to strengthen its capacity to prevent and respond to any potential Ebola threat.
The committee, announced by the Edo State Government in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Dr. Patrick Akhere Ebojele, is mandated to coordinate the state’s preparedness and response strategies against any possible Ebola outbreak.
Its composition reflects a multi-sectoral approach, bringing together government ministries, security agencies, healthcare institutions, professional bodies, traditional and religious leaders, market representatives and development partners.
Government ministries represented on the committee include Health, Environment, Livestock, Local Government, Finance, and Information and Communication. The Edo State House of Assembly Committee on Health, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the Department of Port Health and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) are also represented.
Security agencies on the committee include the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Key healthcare institutions represented include the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Edo State University Teaching Hospital (EDSUTH), Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Uselu, Edo Specialist Hospital, Central Hospital, Benin, and Stella Obasanjo Hospital.
The committee also includes representatives of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and the Association of Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Edo State chapter.
To strengthen community engagement and public awareness, a traditional ruler, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leader, the Chief Imam and a market women’s leader have also been included.
Development partners and relevant agencies represented include the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Nigeria Red Cross Society, DataFi, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency.
The government said the committee would operate through the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), which has specialised operational pillars covering coordination, epidemiology, surveillance, infection prevention and control, risk communication, logistics, laboratory services, case management, and safe and dignified burial. A PHEOC Manager will oversee the centre’s operations.
A stakeholders’ meeting on Ebola emergency preparedness and response is expected to be scheduled soon to facilitate coordination and align the activities of the committee’s members.
The initiative underscores the Edo State Government’s commitment to strengthening public health emergency preparedness through inter-agency collaboration, disease surveillance, effective risk communication and coordinated response mechanisms.
