Muhammad Pate, Nigeria’s minister of health and social welfare, has expressed concern over the growing threat of drug-resistant infections in the country, warning that the trend poses a “silent pandemic” capable of undermining progress made in disease control and treatment.
He cautioned that countries often waits for crises before investing in preparedness, noting that this reactive approach has proven costly in both human and economic terms.
“The rising threat of drug-resistant infections is a silent pandemic. It is time now that we need to prepare and get ready because crisis can strike any time. The lesson of Ebola and COVID-19 are clear. Every naira spent on infection prevention, hygiene, and antimicrobial resistance control, save many more in treatment and economic loss.”
Pate, who was represented by Nse Akpan, Director of Port Health Services, made the remarks in Abuja on Monday during the 10th anniversary celebration of the Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh (DRASA) Health Trust in honour of the late Adadevoh who died after courageously index ebola case in Nigeria.
The minister paid tribute to the late Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, whose decisive actions during the 2014 Ebola outbreak helped to prevent a national catastrophe.
Ten years ago, Nigeria faced a tremendous threat of the Ebola virus. We remember with profound respect Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, whose courageous and decisive action to protect millions of Nigerians and sacrifice embodies the highest ideals of medical professionalism and national service. Today, through DRASA’s work, her legacy lives on as a living movement for disease prevention and health security”, he said.
The minister warned that infectious disease outbreaks such as cholera remain a persistent challenge, worsened by human factors including poor sanitation and indiscriminate waste disposal.
“It’s time we ensure that we have a universal health coverage, a sustainable improvement in public health practices in this country. If we fail to act now by addressing and extending infection control in hospitals, promoting responsible use of anti-vaccine in communities, and expanding hygiene practices in schools, then we risk undermining the very foundation of modern medicine”, he warned.
Pate acknowledged the role of partners such as DRASA, whose collaboration with government agencies over the past decade has contributed to advancing infection prevention and control (IPC) as well as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) strategies nationwide.
“For much of the past decade, DRASA has helped us to achieve our target in this sustainable system and providing technical services that align with both national and state level priorities, evidenced by how they have mobilized nearly 100,000 health champions”, Pate said.
They have done good in communities, schools, health facilities, government institutions, and how they have supported policies. We want to appreciate DRASA for a nice job they have done and their contribution toward improving and improving the health sector. DRASA has proven to be a trusted and expert partner of the government, ensuring that interventions are not parallel or fragmented, but woven into a national health system”, the minister added.
Niniola Williams, DRASA’s Managing Director, the niece of the late Dr Adadevoh, reflected on the organisation’s journey over the past ten years. She said her aunt’s courage and sacrifice during the Ebola outbreak inspired the creation of the foundation, which has since become a vital partner in building Nigeria’s public health resilience.
“In July 2014, during a moment of fear and uncertainty, she made a decision that turned into what was now support for the greater public good. Her decision protected Nigeria and the world from what could have been a major public health disaster, but it cost her her life. She stood firm to protect Nigeria, refusing to let an infected traveller leave her hospital, despite the risk. That legacy is the seed from which DRASA was grown”, she said.
According to Williams, the trust has established 13 public health response systems at Nigeria’s major airports, seaports, and land borders, while activating cross-border health forums with neighbouring Benin and Niger Republic to facilitate information sharing and coordinated responses to regional health threats.
She added that DRASA has also supported the development and implementation of 28 national and sub-national public health policies, working closely with government agencies to strengthen infection prevention and control.
Williams noted that the impact of these efforts is best measured not only in numbers, but in the stories of communities now better prepared to respond to infectious diseases.
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On future plans, she outlined DRASA’s new ten-year strategic plan, which includes the establishment of the DRASA Academy a to train and certify an additional 50,000 health workers in infection prevention and control and expand its health champions network to 500,000 people nationwide. She said the Trust also intends to set up centres of excellence across all six geopolitical zones to promote innovation, training, and research in public health, while urging support of Nigerians.
Public health experts like Chikwe Ihekweazu, an assistant director general at the World Health Organisation, Jide Idris, director general of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) all commended the impact of DRASA
