'People will claim to have Ebola to collect N100,000' - Shehu Sani warns NCDC

A former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has reacted to the decision of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, to pay a N100,000 weekly allowance to people kept in isolation over the Ebola virus.

The NCDC Director General, Dr Jide Idris, had on Sunday announced that 53 contacts linked to the confirmed Ebola case in Abuja will receive N100,000 per week to cover feeding, accommodation and family support during the 21-day monitoring period.

Reacting on his verified X handle on Monday, Shehu Sani warned that the agency should be careful with the payment.

He said the N100,000 incentive could make some people come forward to falsely claim they have had contact with the virus just to benefit from the weekly stipend.

According to him, NCDC must properly verify contacts to ensure only genuine cases benefit and to prevent abuse of the emergency fund.

“The NCDC reportedly said they will give 100k weekly to anyone they keep in isolation over the Ebola virus.

“They should be careful because some people can come forward and claim they have the virus because of the 100k,” he wrote.

Recall that the NCDC confirmed one case of Ebola in Abuja and is currently monitoring 53 primary contacts including health workers and household members.