Ebola in Nigeria: Opposition Demands Answers from Tinubu Over Ebola Fund
- Nigeria's opposition ADC is pressing President Tinubu over a ₦10 billion Ebola fund announced months before a confirmed Abuja case
- The ruling APC's official response drew attention to the similarity between 'Bola' and 'Ebola' rather than addressing where the money went
- Questions about how quickly authorities moved after a patient fell ill on October 7 remain at the centre of the political storm
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When a confirmed Ebola case emerged in Abuja in October 2026, many Nigerians expected their government to point to a clear plan of action. What the opposition got instead, they say, was a punchline.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has called on President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress to provide a full account of ₦10 billion that the Presidency announced in June 2026 for Ebola emergency preparedness.
Source: Getty Images
The demand comes after the APC's public response to the controversy focused largely on pointing out that "Bola" sounds like "Ebola," an observation the opposition found less than reassuring.
Phrank Shaibu, the ADC's Director of Strategic Communication, signed a statement on Friday, October 23, 2026, outlining a series of pointed questions about the fund.
"Was the money released or was it not? If it was released, where is it held, who controls it, and why has it not been used for the preparedness President Tinubu announced?" he wrote.
Shaibu called on the government to publish release documents, account records and expenditure reports from the Ebola Task Force.
Tough lingering questions
The APC had offered the fact that the fund remains "untouched" as a form of defence. Shaibu turned that argument on its head, describing it as a wrong admission rather than a reassurance.
The ADC also raised serious concerns about the government's response timeline after the World Health Organisation confirmed that the infected patient first showed symptoms on October 7, visited a private health facility on October 11, and only received laboratory confirmation on October 20.
Shaibu demanded to know when health authorities were first alerted, when testing was ordered, and when contact tracing began.
He also called on the APC to name the agency it claimed had "tipped off" the government, along with the precise date.
The ADC's statement further pushed back against any suggestion that the health situation could be used to disrupt the 2027 election campaign, with Shaibu calling on the government to publish any proposed restrictions alongside their medical justification.
"Show Nigerians where the money is. Explain the response timeline. Protect health workers. Trace every contact. President Tinubu and the APC owe the country answers, not 'Bola-Ebola' tales," Shaibu wrote.
Atiku Abubakar, who emerged as the ADC's presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections on May 27, 2026, had already made a similar demand separately, calling on Tinubu to show evidence that the emergency funds reached those responsible for protecting Nigerians.
France records first human case of Shamonda Virus
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that France has recorded the first known human infection with the Shamonda virus on Thursday, 22 October.
The deceased patient was immunocompromised, making them more vulnerable to the animal-borne virus that circulates among cattle, sheep, goats and horses.
WHO is working with French authorities to understand how the patient contracted the virus and what risk it may pose to public health.
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Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
