Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has asked the Federal Government to disclose how it handled Ebola preparedness funding and publish a timeline of its response following a confirmed case in Abuja.
Atiku, through his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council, made the demands on Friday in a statement responding to the All Progressives Congress’ position on the matter.
He recalled that the Presidency announced on June 9 that President Bola Tinubu had ordered the immediate release of N10bn for Ebola emergency preparedness. Atiku questioned the status of the fund after the APC reportedly said it remained untouched.
He asked the government to clarify whether the money had been released and, if so, identify the account holding it, those responsible for managing it and why it had not been spent.
“Publish the release documents, the account records and the Task Force’s expenditure reports,” he said.
Atiku also sought details of the timeline from the onset of symptoms to the confirmation of the Ebola case, citing the World Health Organisation’s account that the patient developed symptoms on October 7, sought care at a private facility on October 11 and received laboratory confirmation on October 20.
He asked when health authorities first suspected Ebola, when they were alerted, when testing was ordered and when contact tracing began.
The former vice-president also urged the government to publish details of its surveillance efforts, including the agency that raised the alert and the action taken.
He said the 44 identified contacts required adequate health protection and called for sufficient resources for health workers involved in treating the patient and tracing contacts.
Atiku further urged the government to provide medical justification and guidance from health authorities for any proposed restrictions linked to the outbreak.
He maintained that Nigerians needed transparency on the funding, a clear account of the response and assurances that health workers and identified contacts were being adequately protected.
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