The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has approved a weekly emergency stipend of ₦100,000 per person for individuals placed in isolation and quarantine following possible exposure to the Ebola virus.
Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, announced the financial intervention on Sunday during a media briefing in Abuja, explaining that the measure was introduced to alleviate financial strain on affected citizens.
According to the health agency chief, the emergency stipend became necessary after several quarantined individuals expressed concerns over their inability to run businesses, earn income, and cater to family responsibilities while under observation.
”We are paying for their accommodation, we are paying for their feeding. We are providing ₦100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining,” Dr. Idris stated.
The NCDC clarified that while accommodation and catering are fully covered within designated facilities, the additional weekly cash support is designed to ease the burden of isolation and encourage public cooperation with contact-tracing teams.
The announcement comes as active epidemiological tracking linked to Nigeria’s confirmed index case scales up to 53 primary contacts, comprising healthcare personnel, household members, and domestic staff.
Health authorities have reiterated that individuals placed under surveillance are monitored through the 21-day incubation window to ensure early detection, emphasizing that being quarantined does not automatically mean a person is infected.
The agency further urged the public to remain calm, adhere strictly to professional health guidelines, and cooperate fully with disease surveillance officers deployed across the country
