The Federal Government says it is adopting a “bottom-up” strategy to strengthen Nigeria’s health emergency response by empowering the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and local governments.
The approach, known as the “sub-national capacity framework,” is a key component of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this in Abuja during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the 12th Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) meeting of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
The meeting brought together state health commissioners and development partners to review progress and strengthen coordination in the nation’s health sector.
Dr. Idris said the Federal Government can no longer depend solely on providing rapid response teams, medical countermeasures, and outbreak materials from the centre without improving preparedness and diagnostic capacity at the state level.
He stressed that strengthening sub-national capacity is essential for effective coordination among federal, state, and local governments in managing health emergencies and reducing preventable disease burdens across the country.
“A framework has been developed to guide states on building emergency preparedness systems, with further engagements planned to outline operational modalities and improve coordination,” Idris said.
However, he identified bureaucratic bottlenecks at the state level as a major obstacle slowing progress.
To address this, he said the NCDC would intensify structured collaboration, technical assistance, training, and monitoring to ensure accountability and timely interventions.
Highlighting some progress under the States Outbreak Investigation and Response Fund (S-OIRF), Idris said several states had achieved notable results.
“In Ekiti State, authorities conducted simulation exercises, developed multi-hazard emergency response plans, and rapidly contained yellow fever outbreaks in affected local government areas, supported by stipends, transport, and airtime for Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNOs),” he explained.
“Similarly, in Kaduna State, Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) were deployed for diphtheria outbreaks, alongside enhanced disease surveillance, prepositioning of medical countermeasures, and capacity building of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) core team.”
While acknowledging these successes, Idris noted that nationwide data on the S-OIRF’s overall impact remains limited, as figures on total outbreaks contained, response times, and cases detected are yet to be publicly released.
He also highlighted ongoing coordination challenges in other states, adding that more operational support is required to achieve consistency across the country.
Idris reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting all states with technical guidance, training, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure transparency, accountability, and sustainability in health emergency systems.
“These measures are vital for building resilient, state-level outbreak response systems that can rapidly contain infectious diseases and safeguard public health across Nigeria,” he said.
