General News
NCDC Unveils Toolkit to Strengthen Disease Surveillance, Forecast Outbreaks
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has launched a pioneering toolkit designed to strengthen disease surveillance and forecast outbreaks, positioning the country for a more proactive public health response.
The launch also featured the unveiling of a Vulnerability Matrix and an Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, marking a major step in Nigeria’s effort to reinforce epidemic preparedness through data-driven, cross-sectoral collaboration.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Dr. Olajide Idris, the director-general of NCDC, described the new tools as a major milestone in Nigeria’s epidemic intelligence architecture.
Represented by Dr. John Oladejo, the director of special duties at the NCDC, he said the toolkit responds to the urgent need for timely and integrated disease intelligence across the human, animal and environmental health sectors.
“This toolkit is our response to that challenge,” he said, noting that the development of the tools was catalysed by findings from the 2023 Joint External Evaluation (JEE), which highlighted significant gaps in the country’s existing surveillance systems. He added that the framework would serve as a foundation for a climate-smart early warning system, powered by data and cross-sector insights.
“We are moving towards a system that can predict outbreaks before they escalate – saving lives, protecting livelihoods and preserving economic stability,” Idris stated.
The toolkit was developed by the NCDC in collaboration with Data.FI, a U.S. government-supported project led by Palladium International, alongside strategic partners such as the Federal ministries of Health, Environment and Agriculture; the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet); the World Health Organisation (WHO); Resolve to Save Lives and academic institutions.
Otse Ogorry, country director of Data.FI Nigeria, explained that the project was born out of a desire to rapidly address the JEE’s finding that Nigeria lacked a functional multi-sectoral early warning system.
He said the framework allows stakeholders to forecast disease outbreaks based on environmental triggers like rainfall, flooding and heatwaves – events increasingly linked to disease patterns due to climate change.
“For example, spikes in rainfall can signal potential cholera outbreaks, while heatwaves may indicate heightened risk for cerebrospinal meningitis,” Ogorry said.
“The goal is to enable public health agencies to act before diseases take hold – shifting from reactive to preventive response models.”
Ogorry emphasised that the framework aligns with Nigeria’s One Health strategy, which integrates data from human, animal and environmental health sectors to manage shared health risks more effectively. He said initial implementation revealed challenges in harmonising data-sharing systems and aligning agency priorities, but these were overcome through sustained engagement and coordination under NCDC’s leadership.
“We had to bring together the ministries of Environment, Livestock Development and Health. Initially, collaboration was difficult due to differing mandates and data systems, but we eventually found common ground,” he said.
“This toolkit now belongs to the Nigerian government. It will be revised periodically to reflect emerging realities.”
According to Ogorry, the system has already been piloted nationally and tested in Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with feedback from stakeholders used to fine-tune its features.
He also noted its interoperability with the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS), Nigeria’s digital disease surveillance platform, which will strengthen early detection and response.
Dr. Samuel Anzaku, director of veterinary public health and epidemiology at the Federal Ministry of Livestock and Development, commended the inclusivity of the development process.
He said the collaborative workshops, held in multiple locations including Lagos and Abuja, created a sense of ownership and ensured that the final product addressed both technical and field-level realities.
“This is not just another project – it’s a government-owned framework that can be adapted to meet sector-specific needs, especially for tackling zoonotic diseases and other emerging health threats,” he said.
“It may not solve every challenge in the system, but it certainly gives us a structured pathway to respond more effectively.”
Also speaking, Dr Fatima Saleh, director of surveillance and epidemiology at the NCDC, highlighted the critical role of interagency collaboration and community involvement.
She said Nigeria’s progress in surveillance and epidemic preparedness could not have been achieved without the joint effort of technical institutions, policy makers and grassroots actors.
“The work we do at the NCDC is not a one-man show. It’s a demonstration of integrated, multi-sectoral partnerships that have helped us strengthen our International Health Regulations (IHR) core capacities,” she said.
“As we move forward, we must prioritise inclusivity in our interventions – because the more communities feel involved, the more sustainable our solutions become.”
Saleh said the new tools would enhance Nigeria’s capacity to prepare for pandemics and mitigate the impact of public health emergencies, particularly in vulnerable communities.
She urged all stakeholders to remain committed to the full implementation and adaptation of the framework across regions.
Public health experts at the event praised the initiative as a model for low- and middle-income countries aiming to enhance pandemic preparedness through climate-sensitive, data-driven and collaborative systems.
The launch concluded with a unified call for strong political will, strategic investment and continuous refinement of the toolkit to ensure it remains responsive to Nigeria’s evolving health landscape.
Chinonso Akujobi, former staff of Access Bank in Lagos, has been remanded in Ikoyi prison after she was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N294.5m.
Akujobi who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was arraigned before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
EFCC alleged that Akujobi stole the money between January and December 2025 while under the employment of Access Bank Plc.
As stated in one the charges, the defendant stole the money through unauthorized payments from the general ledger of Access Bank to her account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., thereby committing an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant pleaded “not guilty“ to the charges when they were read to her.
In view of this, S.M.Yabo, prosecution counsel, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre.
Justice Ijelu, thereafter, adjourned the case till October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.
The Judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional Centre.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the flight captain of the VMO Aero aircraft that landed on a roadway near Asaba Airport in Delta State told investigators that the observer pilot mistakenly identified the paved road as the runway before touchdown.
The bureau disclosed this in a preliminary report released on Thursday on the June 10 incident, which prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the private jet.
The aircraft had seven people on board, including the pilot-in-command (PIC), second-in-command (SIC), an observer pilot, a cabin crew member and three passengers.
According to the report, the aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to approach Runway 11 at Asaba Airport after the crew requested a right orbit.
The crew initially discontinued the approach, executed a missed approach and repositioned for a second landing attempt.
NSIB said the crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation systems indicated it was correctly established on the published RNAV Runway 11 approach.
“The PIC and SIC reported that the observer pilot identified the paved surface ahead as the runway,” the report stated.
However, the observer pilot gave investigators a different version of events.
According to NSIB, he said the aircraft remained inside cloud until late in the approach and that the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) repeatedly issued “TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP” alerts.
He also said he observed a telecommunications mast directly ahead and instructed the flight captain to abandon the approach and climb immediately.
The bureau further disclosed that a cabin crew member reported that one of the passengers became concerned after overhearing discussions among the pilots and asked whether one of them was undergoing training. The passenger was reportedly reassured that all three pilots on board were experienced captains.
NSIB said no abnormal events were reported in the cabin before touchdown.
The aircraft eventually landed at about 8:57 a.m. on an under-construction paved roadway near Asaba Airport instead of the designated runway.
The bureau said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, while the preliminary report highlights conflicting accounts among the cockpit crew over the circumstances that led to the erroneous landing.
European Union has warned Meta Platforms Inc. that it could face a significant financial penalty unless it changes what regulators describe as the “addictive design” features of Facebook and Instagram.
The European Commission issued the warning in preliminary findings released on Friday, saying Meta had failed to sufficiently address risks posed by its platforms, particularly to children and vulnerable users.
The Commission said features such as infinite scrolling, personalised content recommendations and automatic video playback were designed in ways that encouraged excessive engagement with the platforms.
EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said protecting the physical and mental well-being of European citizens should be a priority for social media companies.
The Commission said Meta should consider introducing design changes, including disabling autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, providing effective screen-time reminders and adjusting recommendation systems to reduce the focus on maximising user engagement.
The findings were issued under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets obligations for major online platforms to address risks associated with their services.
Meta, however, rejected the Commission’s conclusions, saying it disagreed with the findings but would continue engaging with European regulators.
The company said it had already implemented measures aimed at protecting younger users, including Teen Accounts that allow parents to manage screen time limits and restrict access during night hours.
The EU said its investigation, which began in 2024, found that existing time-management tools on Facebook and Instagram could easily be bypassed, while parental controls required technical knowledge that limited their effectiveness.
Regulators also expressed concerns over children’s nighttime use of the platforms and the possibility that features such as Reels and Stories could encourage compulsive behaviour.
If the Commission’s preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta could face a fine of up to six per cent of its annual global revenue under the DSA.
The warning comes as the EU steps up efforts to strengthen online safety measures for children, with an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to present recommendations on protecting minors online.
Several EU member states, including France, have also supported discussions on restricting social media access for children, following Australia’s decision to ban users under 16 from accessing social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the Commission is continuing a separate investigation into whether Meta’s recommendation algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects by directing users towards increasingly extreme content.
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