Odita Sunday 
HURIWA Raises Alarm Over Ebola Threat, Demands Urgent National Emergency Preparedness
By Odita Sunday
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on the Federal Government to immediately activate a nationwide Ebola prevention and emergency preparedness framework following renewed warnings of a possible outbreak across several African countries.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), the civil rights advocacy group warned that Nigeria could face devastating health and economic consequences if authorities fail to act swiftly and transparently in response to the growing Ebola threat on the continent.
HURIWA said reports from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that at least ten African countries are currently at risk of Ebola transmission due to ongoing outbreaks in Central and East Africa.
The countries listed include Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia.
According to the group, factors such as porous borders, high cross-border movement, insecurity in conflict-prone regions, and weak healthcare systems have heightened the risk of rapid disease transmission across the continent.
The association also recalled that the World Health Organization (WHO) had earlier classified the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern because of Ebola’s high fatality rate and rapid transmission potential.
Describing Ebola as “one of the most dangerous viral diseases known to humanity,” HURIWA warned that Nigeria’s dense population and fragile health surveillance systems make the country particularly vulnerable.
The group expressed concern that despite the warnings, the Federal Government has yet to publicly unveil a comprehensive national preparedness strategy comparable to the coordinated response deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“HURIWA is alarmed that, despite these clear and credible warnings, Nigeria has yet to publicly communicate a comprehensive, structured, and visible national preparedness framework,” the statement said.
The organisation stressed that during the COVID-19 crisis, coordinated federal and state collaboration, regular public briefings, and aggressive public sensitisation campaigns helped limit the spread of the virus, adding that the same level of urgency must now be replicated.
HURIWA further lamented what it described as insufficient public information regarding the readiness of isolation centres, border surveillance mechanisms, rapid response teams, and communication strategies for rural and high-risk communities.
The group subsequently urged the Federal Government to immediately activate a full-scale National Ebola Prevention and Preparedness Framework coordinated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with state governments.
Among its recommendations, HURIWA called for enhanced screening at airports, land borders, and seaports, daily multilingual public enlightenment campaigns, improved health system readiness, adequate protection for frontline health workers, and the reintroduction of regular national briefings to curb panic and misinformation.
The association warned that Ebola should not be viewed solely as a medical issue but as a major national security and humanitarian threat capable of disrupting the economy and overwhelming the healthcare system if not promptly contained.
“HURIWA therefore warns that Nigeria must not wait for confirmation of local cases before acting. Prevention is always more effective and far less costly than crisis response,” the statement added.
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