[6] The NCDC was established in 2011, following a mandate from the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health (Nigeria), to integrate specific units of the Ministry to serve as the foundation of the agency - the Epidemiology Division, the Avian Influenza Project, and the Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (NFELTP).

The Council recognized the need for a technical agency to respond to the challenges of public health emergencies in Nigeria and to enhance the country’s preparedness for epidemics through the prevention, detection, and control of communicable diseases.

Following deliberations by the National Assembly and approval, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Bill for an Act to establish the NCDC as a federal government agency on November 13, 2018.

[15] The Mission Statement was further broken down into 5 strategic goals with defined outcomes, 22 objectives, and 89 corresponding activities to support the multiple initiatives of the 2017–2021 horizon.

There are three campuses within the NCDC in Nigeria, located in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, and Yaba, Lagos State.

[19] The Special Duties Directorate, coordinates strategic initiatives, fostering partnerships, and overseeing project management activities.

[20] The directorate is responsible for monitoring strategic organizational plans, manages engagement with partners and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The Directorate of Surveillance and Epidemiology collects, collates, and analyses data on Nigeria’s priority diseases to detect outbreaks and inform policy.

[31][32] In addition to full-time employment, the NCDC also offers positions for short-term consultancies, internships, and fellowships for applicants worldwide throughout various times of each year.

It is managed by NCDC in partnership with the African Field Epidemiology Network and with support from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[35] It has provided a platform for experts in the epidemiology field to convey new knowledge to advance public health science.

Graduates and residents of the NFETP are involved at the strategic, technical, and operational levels in the response to epidemic-prone and pandemic-prone diseases.

[36] They operate under various roles to serve different capacities within contact tracing, risk communications, infection prevention and control, surveillance, and coordination.

In a statement issued by the Presidential spokesman, on the appointment of Dr. Jide Idris into office by President Bola Tinubu on February 15, 2024.[38].

The WER includes an editorial that highlights key activities and events that occurred at the NCDC within the previous week of the posting date.

A detailed map of Nigeria displays every State and LGA in the country, alongside an interactive line chart.

Since 2018, NCDC has been supporting all 36 States and the Federal Capital territory to establish State-level PHEOCs to effectively promote communication and resource management on a State-wide level during public health emergencies.

The Unit mainly based its activities to the safety of health care practitioners and the general population by strengthening IPC capacity in Nigeria.

[44] On November 26, 2016, the honourable Minister of Health approved the establishment of a National Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) coordinating body at the NCDC.

Since its inception, the plan has guided the NCDC’s advisory and campaign efforts of promoting the responsible use of antibiotics to Nigerian citizens.

During the 2017–2019 monkeypox outbreak in Nigeria, the NCDC utilized SORMAS to conduct contact tracing for case notification and analyze data for the production of weekly epidemiological reports on the epidemic for the general public.

By September 2020, SORMAS was fully deployed and adopted by all States and the Federal Capital Territory in prioritized health facilities for reporting use.

[52] Some of the measures included increasing surveillance at ports of entry through body temperature measurements, collecting the contact details of travelers arriving from COVID-19 hotspots, and using SORMAS and the Mobile Strengthening and Outbreak Response Management System (MSERS) for case-cased reporting and aggregate reporting of suspected cases respectively.

[53] The NCDC established a multi-sectoral National Coronavirus Preparedness Group (NCPG) on 26 January 2020 to execute regular epidemic intelligence gathering, intensive risk communications, and strengthening of laboratory capacity for testing in preparation for the disease.

Nearly a year later, NCDC supported the activation for every State in Nigeria to have at least one public health laboratory that conducts COVID-19 testing.

The NCDC actively disseminates relevant information on the COVID-19 pandemic through its website, SMS messaging platform, and social media accounts.