N10bn untouched – APC accuses Atiku of politicising Ebola response
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, of politicising Nigeria’s Ebola response, insisting that approved emergency funds remain untouched.…
Nigeria has had prior brushes with Ebola virus disease, most notably the 2014 outbreak that was contained after an intense public health response involving the federal government, Lagos and Rivers State authorities, and international partners. That episode is often cited as a rare success story in Nigeria's disease-control history, which makes any fresh scare politically sensitive, as it touches on the credibility of the country's emergency health response system and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
This latest exchange appears to stem from criticism by Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice-President and recurrent presidential contender, over how the government has handled a reported Ebola threat or allocation of emergency funds. The APC Presidential Campaign Council has pushed back, framing Atiku's comments as an attempt to score political points rather than a genuine public health concern, and maintaining that the N10 billion in question has not been disbursed or spent. What remains unclear from the coverage is the specific trigger for Atiku's remarks, the source and intended use of the N10 billion, and whether any Ebola cases have actually been confirmed in Nigeria at this time — details neither Vanguard nor Daily Trust's reports spell out.