The International Monetary Fund has revealed that Nigeria is not among Africa’s fastest-growing economies, as countries such as Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda continue to lead the continent’s growth trajectory in the world.

The IMF said the five countries are now among the world’s fastest-expanding economies, buoyed by sustained policy reforms, improved fiscal management, and investments in infrastructure and manufacturing.

The Director of the IMF’s African Department, Abebe Selassie, disclosed this during the launch of Sub-Saharan Africa’s latest Regional Economic Outlook at a press briefing monitored by our correspondent on Thursday.

He said Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda are among the world’s top-performing economies, crediting their strong growth to fiscal reforms and macroeconomic stability.

The Director also noted that overall growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to stabilise at 4.1 per cent in 2025, with a modest pick-up expected in 2026, powered by macro stabilisation and reform efforts in key economies.

Selassie said, “Six months ago, our assessment highlighted the region’s strong efforts and that growth had exceeded expectations last year. But we also noted sudden realignment of global priorities and increasing turbulent external conditions, marked by weaker demand, softer commodity prices and tighter financial markets. Today, these global headwinds continue to test the region’s recovery and resilience.

“Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic growth, we now estimate, is expected to hold steady at 4.1% this year, with a modest pick-up expected in 2026. In our view, this reflects ongoing progress in macroeconomic stabilisation and reform efforts across the major economies in the region.

“It is important to note that several countries in the region, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, are among the fastest-growing economies in the world.”

This omission comes despite the IMF’s recent upward revision of Nigeria’s growth forecast, projecting the economy to expand by 3.9 per cent in 2025, driven by higher oil output, improved investor confidence, and a more supportive fiscal policy.

The updated figures reflect a 0.5 percentage point increase from its previous forecast and signal renewed optimism about the country’s medium-term economic prospects.

In July, the IMF revised Nigeria’s economic growth projection for 2025 upward to 3.4 per cent, a 0.4 percentage point increase from the 3.0 per cent forecast published in its April 2025 World Economic Outlook.

The National Bureau of Statistics also reported last month that Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.23 per cent year-on-year in real terms in the second quarter of 2025.

The figure marks a notable improvement from the 3.48 per cent growth recorded in the corresponding period of 2024, reflecting modest gains from increased oil output, recovery in key non-oil sectors, and easing inflationary pressures.

However, the IMF’s verdict indicates that the growth remains below potential, and the government is urged to deepen structural reforms, improve electricity supply, curb inflation, and expand non-oil revenue through industrial diversification and better tax administration

“We still have quite a few resource-intensive countries and conflict-infected countries continuing to face significant challenges with only modest gains in per capita incomes. The external environment remains challenging, global growth is slowing, and commodity prices are diverging. Notably, oil prices are declining, while the price of copper, coffee and gold are fairly elevated.”

The fund also raised concern over rising financial vulnerabilities in Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries, warning that governments’ growing dependence on domestic bank borrowing poses increasing risks to financial stability.

Selassie revealed that many governments are forced to turn to domestic banks as external financing dries up, deepening the “sovereign-bank nexus.” In about half of the cases, the IMF estimates that public debt is now held by domestic financial institutions, a trend that heightens risks to banking sector stability.

He explained that as access to external financing tightens, several African governments have turned to domestic lenders to sustain public spending, a trend he described as a double-edged sword that could strain banks’ balance sheets and deepen the link between public debt and financial sector risks.

“It has been really good to see the region showing strong resilience. But this will continue to be tested in the coming months. Pressure points include rising debt service costs, which are crowding out development spending, a shift towards domestic financing that has deepened the sovereign bank nexus, inflation that has eased at the regional level but remains in double digits in quite a few countries in the region, and external buffers that are under pressure and need to be rebuilt.

“Against this backdrop, we see two broad policy priorities. The first is domestic revenue mobilisation. This is very important to increase our country’s potential, the significant potential to be tapped here also, and the reforms that need to be considered here include modernising tax systems through digitalisation, streamlining inefficient tax expenditures, and strengthening enforcement via targeted compliance strategies.

“And importantly, these efforts must go beyond technical adjustments. It will be essential to build public trust in tax institutions, strengthen institutional capacity, and conduct careful impact assessment, including distributional analysis, to ensure that these reforms are both effective and equitable.

“The IMF, of course, remains committed to supporting the region. Since 2020, we have disbursed nearly $69bn, including about $4bn so far this year. Our capacity development efforts also remain substantial, with countries in the region amongst the largest recipients of technical assistance.”

Selassie warned that in countries with high debt levels and elevated interest rates, stress could spill over into banks’ balance sheets. He called on governments to strengthen regulatory oversight, capital buffers, and ensure that public finance trajectories reduce the likelihood of harmful spillover over the years.

“On the issue of domestic banks’ vulnerabilities to rising public debt levels. So again, this is a point that we’ve been highlighting for several years. At this moment, we estimate that about half of the total public debt is held by domestic institutions. This has gone up over the years. As always, it’s a double-edged sword. As access to external financing has declined over the years, our countries, our governments have been able to turn to domestic banks, have had to turn to domestic financial institutions to sustain spending levels, to sustain economies.

“That has been a source of resilience, but we are now seeing a situation where there are significant vulnerabilities, and in particular in those countries where public debt is at very elevated levels, the risk of distress is higher, we are seeing some pressures on bank balance sheets, or there could be potential pressures on bank balance sheets.

“So again, it varies from country to country, the extent to which there are vulnerabilities, but it is an area of some concern in those countries where public debt is high, where interest rates are high, and we’re working with governments to make sure that there is a robust regulatory framework, robust capitalisation plans for banks, and of course first and foremost, the first line of defence, making sure that public finances are in a healthy trajectory to ensure that their spillovers are limited,” the director explained.

He added that Inflation remains stubborn in several countries, even as the regional average eases. And external buffers, such as foreign reserves, are under stress and in urgent need of replenishment.

Selassie warned that the region’s recovery is under pressure from external turbulence, weaker global demand, volatile commodity prices, and tighter global financial conditions.

He cited declining oil prices even as metals like copper, coffee, and gold remain elevated.

While a few countries, such as Kenya and Angola, have regained access to international capital markets, the IMF cautioned that tariff increases from the U.S. and the expiry of preferential trade access under AGOA erode growth prospects.

The impending sharp decline in foreign aid further constrains low-income and fragile states, limiting their fiscal flexibility.

To reinforce resilience, the IMF laid out two broad policy priorities, “Domestic revenue mobilisation, via modernising tax systems (especially through digitalisation), pruning inefficient tax expenditures, and reinforcing compliance.”

But Selassie emphasised that such reforms must also build public trust, institutional capacity, and include distributional impact assessments.

He said, “Debt management; increasing transparency, reinforcing public financial management, publishing comprehensive debt data, and improving budget oversight. These measures, he argued, will help reduce borrowing costs and unlock innovative financing options.”

Turning his attention to Nigeria, the IMF analyst noted that the decline in inflation is consistent with ongoing monetary tightening and a more flexible exchange rate regime. But he warned that inflation remains sticky due to a “level shift”, meaning prices have settled at higher levels. He urged continued policy discipline to hit targets.

“So starting with inflation in Nigeria, we find the decline in inflation consistent with the tightening of policies that have been undertaken in recent years, particularly on the monetary policy front, but also the effect of the exchange rate adjustment that took place over the last year or so and more, having come through the system. So it is consistent with the policy calibration and we are encouraged by it, but I think there are still some ways to go, towards the government’s target.

“Public debt is high, of course, in many countries in the region. Right now we estimate about 20 countries to be in a situation of high risk of debt distress. This comprises about 14 countries at high risk of debt distress and another six in actual debt distress.”

The IMF stressed that boosting growth is key to making debt servicing affordable, and that not all nations face identical challenges, hence the need for tailored policy frameworks.

Selassie also spotlighted illicit financial flows, urging countries to identify leakages (trade mis-invoicing, capital outflows, tax evasion) and adopt reforms targeting their root causes.

“Lastly, on illicit financial flows, I think, you know, this is the nature of, you know, what comprises things that we consider illicit financial flows vary. Some of it is just simple trade, you know, leakages to do with capital outflows.

“Others have related to, you know, people trying to circumvent the tax system. Still others are completely illegal flows, you know, related to corruption or other flows. So I think, you know, the way to tackle this is to identify what the source of the particular flows is and tackle them through reforms.

“So, again, a lot of the reforms, the direction of reforms that countries are pursuing should go in a way to help address many of these challenges that we are seeing in terms of illicit financial flows.”

Finally, he warned that while market access is improving, borrowing conditions remain expensive. Governments should treat costly external borrowing cautiously and always anchor decisions on a sound medium-term fiscal path.

Despite these warning signs, the IMF commended the region’s resilience and ongoing reform efforts, saying that progress in fiscal consolidation, exchange rate flexibility, and monetary tightening in major economies like Nigeria has helped stabilise growth and ease inflationary pressures.

“On the challenges related to policy in the U.S., I mean, first thing to note is that the fallout from the higher tariffs that have been imposed in the U.S. has not been as bad as we had feared back in April. So the global economy has weathered.

“And importantly, we have not seen other countries, you know, going in the same vein of raising tariffs. So that’s encouraging. Second, you know, this said, countries that are exporting to the U.S. and that are relying on significant exports to the U.S. and they are limited, will be facing higher barriers to trading to the U.S. So, some thinking about, you know, how to reorient these flows, finding different ways to address this challenge will be needed in those countries.

“One of the striking things about African trade is that when we trade with each other, increasingly we tend to trade in more manufactured goods, higher value-added goods. When we trade with the rest of the world, we are exporting natural resources. So there’s actually a big plus in terms of trading with each other, and there’s a big benefit to be had from promoting intra-Africa trade, so I think this is also an opportunity to work in those kinds of areas,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund has commended Nigeria’s ongoing fiscal and monetary policy reforms, describing the country’s policy direction as “broadly positive” amid signs of easing inflation and improving foreign exchange transparency.

Officials of the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department and Monetary and Capital Markets Department made the remarks during the presentation of the Fiscal Monitor and Global Financial Stability Report on the sidelines of the 2025 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, DC.

The IMF said Nigeria’s fiscal stance is currently neutral, meaning that government spending and taxation are balanced in a way that supports monetary efforts to tame inflation without stifling growth.

“Currently what we are projecting for Nigeria is a neutral fiscal stance,” said Davide Furceri, Division Chief at the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department. “We think that this neutral fiscal policy stance is also consistent in helping monetary policies to reduce inflation.”

Furceri praised the Nigerian government’s reforms in recent years, especially in tax administration and expenditure efficiency, noting that such efforts have helped to simplify the tax code, reduce burdens on businesses, and cut wasteful spending.

“Nigeria has done quite a lot in the past years,” he added. “Many of the laws that have been passed have tried to streamline tax codes, reduce tax expenditures, and ease the burden on businesses and low-income households. These are policies that go in the right direction.”

He explained that beyond revenue mobilisation, Nigeria could achieve faster economic gains by improving the efficiency and composition of public spending, especially by channelling more funds into social protection to reduce vulnerability among low-income groups.

Presenting the Global Financial Stability Report, the IMF’s Director of Monetary and Capital Markets, Tobias Adrian, said Nigeria’s recent exchange rate adjustments and tighter monetary policy had improved policy credibility and strengthened external buffers.

“Exchange rates are important buffers to adjust the domestic economy relative to shocks,” Adrian said. “A depreciating exchange rate is not necessarily a bad thing; it may actually be a good thing to restore equilibrium. We have indeed seen in Nigeria many steps to strengthen policy frameworks, such as on the monetary policy side.”

He added that the IMF generally supports more flexible exchange rates for economies like Nigeria’s, noting that such flexibility helps cushion the impact of external shocks and restore balance in the foreign exchange market.

Supporting this position, Assistant Director at the IMF, Jason Wu, said Nigeria’s economic trajectory had improved significantly over the past year, helped by higher revenues and stronger FX reserve management.

“Revenue collection has strengthened in Nigeria and transparency in terms of FX reserve positions has improved,” Wu said. “All of this has contributed to lower inflation, from more than 30 per cent last year to 23 per cent this year, as well as improved FX reserve positions. So the direction of travel appears to be positive.”

The IMF, however, warned that despite these positive developments, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face external headwinds, including the risk of another round of capital flow volatility that could affect economies with weak fundamentals.

“While growth has been pretty strong and capital flows are resuming, the previous surge-and-retrenchment cycles could happen again,” Wu warned. “When that happens, it could expose some of these economies to vulnerabilities, particularly when foreign investments retrace.”

He urged African countries to consolidate fiscal discipline, strengthen debt management, and deepen structural reforms to reduce vulnerability to external shocks.

“It is important for countries to continue to improve fundamentals on the fiscal and monetary policy side, but also in terms of developing more structural policies, like revenue mobilisation, debt management and hopefully also support from the international community,” Wu added.

President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja after participating in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-level Meeting held in Rome, Italy.

There, world leaders gathered to strengthen cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism.

Tinubu had departed Nigeria on October 12 for the meeting scheduled to start on the 14th.

According to a State House Press Release issued on Saturday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President’s trip to Rome reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global security partnerships.

“President Bola Tinubu returns to Abuja today after participating in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-level Meeting in Rome, Italy,” the statement read.

The Aqaba Process, the release explained, is “a counter-terrorism initiative launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2015” and “co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Government of Italy.”

The Rome edition of the meeting focused on “strengthening regional and international collaboration in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, with particular attention to West Africa.”

The high-level session took place on Wednesday, October 15, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, and drew participation from several global leaders including King Abdullah II of Jordan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Other dignitaries in attendance included Azouz Nasri, President of Algeria’s Upper House, as well as delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan, alongside special envoys and security experts.

“The meeting was held behind closed doors,” the statement noted, underscoring the sensitivity of the discussions focused on global counterterrorism coordination.

Bilateral Engagements

On the sidelines of the summit, Tinubu held bilateral meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and U.S. President Donald Trump’s Senior Adviser on Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, where security and economic cooperation reportedly topped discussions.

He also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, in a session that highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to religious tolerance and unity.

“President Tinubu also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to discuss religious harmony in Nigeria.

“The meeting addressed the widespread disinformation campaigns that falsely portray the country as intolerant of religious diversity,” the release stated.

Since its inception in 2015, the Aqaba Process has convened 33 meetings across multiple levels — from Heads of State summits to technical expert sessions — built on “three core pillars: prevention, coordination, and closing operational gaps in counterterrorism efforts.”

The President’s participation in the Rome meeting, according to the release, aligns with his administration’s broader security diplomacy agenda and Nigeria’s active role in international peace and counterterrorism collaborations.

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Forty-two-year-old Lagos resident, Kabir Adeoye, has been battling persistent fever and related symptoms despite completing several rounds of treatment.

Adeoye, who initially assumed he had contracted malaria, began experiencing fever, chills, and sweating about two weeks ago.

He took antimalarial medication and travelled briefly to Kano, expecting to recover.

But a week later, Adeoye was still shivering, sweating, and burning up internally.

“Despite completing my medications, I still felt the same way and wondered if the drugs no longer worked,” he told Saturday PUNCH.

Frustrated, Adeoye tried self-medication, switching brands, and even combining drugs, but nothing worked.

His palms and feet felt as though they were on fire, and his confusion grew daily.

When herbal remedies seemed like the last option, he decided to give them a try.

That night, the situation took an unexpected turn when he returned from work.

“When I got home, my wife told me our two children were also running a fever, coughing, and had catarrh. I was shocked, and it was past midnight. We rushed them to the hospital, where they were diagnosed with malaria,” he stated.

The diagnosis puzzled him.

Kabir emphasised that he prides himself in maintaining a clean home and regularly fumigating to keep mosquitoes at bay.

“So, how could they have malaria all of a sudden?” he asked.

The doctor advised further tests for malaria and flu, even though he had already completed a full malaria treatment.

The results left him more confused than ever.

“It has never happened to me, let alone my entire family,” Adeoye said.

For another Lagos resident, who only gave her name as Amusan, the first sign of illness came in the second week of September.

She told Saturday PUNCH that what began as a dry, itchy throat soon developed into a prolonged cough.

“It all started with a persistent cough that I couldn’t explain. But that was not the first symptom. A few days earlier, I had been dealing with a very dry throat that felt sore. To prevent it from worsening, I bought some menthol and throat tablets. After all, who wants to live with a sore throat? It is one of those dreadful ailments I absolutely dislike,” the banker recounted.

The menthol sweets helped temporarily. The soreness subsided, and she returned to work, thinking the worst was over.

But soon after, the cough returned in full force; dry, throaty, and unrelenting.

It coincided with her annual medical check-up under her Health Maintenance Organisation plan.

While undergoing routine tests, including a chest X-ray, fasting blood sugar, urinalysis, stool analysis, and full blood count, her phone rang.

It was a colleague, also “coughing badly” and struggling to speak.

The coincidence unsettled her.

“I told her I was experiencing the same thing, where my voice had even become rough. We both concluded that it must be a passing infection and decided to get some medication for it,” Amusan said.

However, the cough intensified, and catarrh and cold soon followed.

At work, colleagues sitting nearby began complaining, fearing infection.

“They were worried that I might infect them since colds spread easily in the office. I even approached my boss to ask for some days off, which was granted,” she said.

On her way home that evening, Amusan stopped at another hospital, seeking relief and interpretation of her earlier test results.

The doctor prescribed another round of medication after reviewing her results.

“Unfortunately, the cold refused to go away. The cough subsided a bit, but my nose kept running even after I had finished the prescribed medication. I eventually bought another set of tablets to self-medicate. This entire ordeal lasted for more than a week,” she recalled.

Over the weekend, she received a call from the same colleague, who suggested, “It might be COVID-19, given the symptoms we both have.”

She initially dismissed the idea, not wanting to be completely isolated.

Still, the suggestion lingered in her mind.

“At one point, I even worried that it could truly be COVID-19, especially after seeing reports of new cases on X in parts of the U.S. and the U.K., countries from which many people travel to Nigeria daily. I just hope it isn’t what I’m fearing,” she said.

To aid her recovery, she turned to home remedies such as ginger and honey, steam inhalation with menthol ointment, and dietary supplements.

“Thankfully, all of these worked wonders. I am still taking zinc and vitamin C, but I still have a lingering cold,” she said.

Growing anxiety amid familiar symptoms

Adeoye and Amusan’s experiences are far from isolated.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that lately, waiting areas in some general hospitals, primary health centres, and private hospitals in Lagos have become crowded with mothers carrying coughing children, young men sniffled behind face masks, and elderly patients clutched handkerchiefs as they waited to be attended to.

A nurse at one of the primary health centres in Oshodi, who spoke on condition of anonymity as she was not permitted to speak to the media, said, “For the past two weeks, we have had a steady stream of patients with persistent coughs and fevers. It feels just like 2020 all over again when COVID-19 broke out.

“The symptoms now seem worse, given the number we are seeing. What we used to see as the common cold years ago is nothing like this. Look at the people outside, they are all here to see a doctor. Honestly, I really do not know what is happening.”

At the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, a doctor, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said he had also been experiencing similar symptoms.

“This illness began on Friday, October 10. Since then, I had to isolate myself to avoid infecting others. The symptoms are very similar to those I experienced during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

“I have lost my sense of taste completely, have a persistent metallic taste in my mouth, and am still battling cold and flu-like symptoms,” he told Saturday PUNCH.

The doctor admitted that the persistence of the illness had left him anxious.

“Honestly, I don’t feel any better. My mouth remains tasteless, and it is becoming increasingly uncomfortable. I plan to get a COVID-19 test as soon as possible because I don’t want to put my family at risk. But the question is: where are the collection centres?” he queried.

He urged the Federal Government to intensify screening at airports and borders.

“The government really needs to take stronger action regarding travellers coming into the country, especially from places where COVID-19 cases are still being reported. Preventive measures at the borders can help reduce the chances of reintroducing the virus into our communities,” he added.

Doctors raise concerns

A consultant family physician at LASUTH, Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo, confirmed an upsurge in upper respiratory infections among Lagos residents.

“We have seen an increase in the number of people presenting with upper respiratory infections such as runny noses, headaches, and fever. Sometimes, the fever is low-grade; other times, it is very high,” he said.

Sodipo explained that many patients have been presenting with identical symptoms across different healthcare facilities.

“This seems to be gradually increasing, and many people are worried, especially about COVID-19, given our past experiences,” he said.

According to the physician, while some cases may be mild viral infections, the similarities to COVID-19 are undeniable.

“The symptoms are almost identical to COVID-19. We have respiratory tract infections, many of them viral in origin, including COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus,” he explained to Saturday PUNCH.

Sodipo agreed that heightened surveillance is critical but advised the public not to panic.

“What we are seeing could be the interplay of several viral infections. People must not self-medicate but instead present themselves to hospitals for proper testing. It is better to know what you are treating than to assume it is malaria or typhoid.

“During COVID-19, one of the things that helped reduce the surge was the advent of the vaccine. We must continue educating people on its importance and strengthen surveillance at airports, seaports, and land borders,” he added.

Pharmacies overwhelmed by demand

Across Lagos, pharmacies are reporting a dramatic rise in sales of cold and flu medications.

At NUKAI Pharmacy in Ogba, pharmacist Chinedu Osita said the trend had become overwhelming.

“In the past month, we have seen a large number of people coming in to buy medication for cough, catarrh, and cold. Previously, we usually had one or two customers a week for such tablets, but since September, the number has increased drastically,” he told Saturday PUNCH.

He added that the surge had strained supply chains.

“People now come in large groups. We even sold out our entire stock and had to place additional orders from our suppliers,” he said.

Another pharmacist in Idi-Araba, Aliu Abdulhafiz, echoed the same concern.

“The number of people coming here now is higher than what we used to experience before. At least 15 people come daily to get tablets for these symptoms, and at times, we even run out of stock. The rise in demand has forced suppliers to increase the prices of all cold and flu medications,” he stated.

He listed some of the most requested drugs as Chlorphenamine, Septrin, Procold, Mixagrip, and Flu-J, among others.

For Abdulhafiz, the sudden spike in cases might be linked to changing weather patterns.

“If heavy rainfall can still occur at this time of the year, then it is a clear sign that climate change is real,” he said.

A pharmacist at Boluke Pharmacy, Ikeja, described the notable rise in cold, cough, and flu cases as “unusual and worrisome.”

The pharmacist, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said the surge began around August and September 2025, and had since overtaken malaria as one of the most common complaints among customers.

“Previously, most cases we handled were hypertension and diabetes, then malaria. Those were the majority. But starting from August and September 2025, we have been seeing a large number of cold and cough cases. They now outnumber complaints of malaria,” she said.

According to the pharmacist, many customers initially thought they had malaria until further questioning revealed symptoms consistent with cold or flu.

“Many people who come complaining of malaria, when we check their symptoms, actually need cold medication. Sometimes, they claim to have malaria while also showing signs of cold. On some days, my branch alone records over 20 of such cases. We have nine branches in total, and this pattern is repeated across most of them,” she said.

The pharmacist noted that entire families are now reporting similar symptoms, suggesting widespread household transmission.

“Sometimes, a mother will come and say, ‘I have cough and cold, my husband too, and my children as well’. So, you can see how widespread it is,” she said.

The pharmacist noted that with reports of a new variant of COVID-19 circulating abroad, pharmacists now advise customers to seek proper medical testing.

“We ask them to visit a hospital for testing because we cannot take any risks again. It is becoming scary,” she said.

The pharmacist also shared a personal concern, citing a family member’s prolonged illness despite treatment.

“My aunt had been treating a cough and cold after we initially treated her for malaria. She took cough medicine and antibiotics that should help, but she’s still unwell.

“This ailment is spreading faster than we think. You’ll treat someone for malaria or typhoid, and it’s not like they have tuberculosis. How can someone be dealing with a cough and cold for more than a month? It is serious, and the government needs to look into it,” she added.

Nigeria endangered, virologists warn

A virologist, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, warned that government complacency and poor surveillance were putting the country at risk of preventable disease outbreaks.

Tomori, a former President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, said the neglect of health monitoring systems and porous borders had weakened the country’s ability to detect and contain infectious diseases.

“Whenever I check the WHO COVID report, it’s like we have abandoned it and forgotten that it’s there. How many of the labs that were testing for COVID are still functioning today?” he told Saturday PUNCH.

He cited a recent incident in which a traveller from Rwanda, who showed symptoms similar to Lassa fever, entered the country undetected.

“We missed the person at the entrance. It was because the person went to report sick that we actually got to know he had entered. If he had gone to a private hospital that doesn’t report to the government, we wouldn’t have known,” he said.

The professor described Nigeria’s borders as dangerously porous, warning that a more serious case could easily slip through.

The virologist emphasised that the same negligence was evident in the approach to the coming flu season.

“The WHO warned ahead of time about the flu season, but we don’t listen to warnings until it overwhelms us,” he said.

An Infectious Disease Physician at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Dr Iorhen Akase, raised concern over the rise in cases of cough and flu in Lagos, which he linked to poor disease surveillance and inadequate investment in testing facilities.

Akase said the recent change in weather triggered the spread of several viral infections, but the specific virus responsible for the current wave of respiratory symptoms remained unknown due to a lack of active surveillance.

He said, “There’s a high likelihood that different kinds of viruses are circulating now. This pattern of cough and cold is in keeping with viral infections. The question is which virus is causing it? The answer is what we don’t know.

“It is difficult to make a diagnosis when we are not routinely screening and having surveillance. Surveillance refers to actively searching for diseases, determining their exact causes, and tracking their movement across populations, but clearly, this is not something we are doing.”

He explained that the country’s healthcare response often depended on visible crises rather than proactive detection.

“As long as people are still going to work with mild coughs or taking a few days off, nobody really knows what’s going on because diagnosis is not being made,” he said.

According to him, most Nigerians with cough, cold and flu symptoms neither visit hospitals nor get tested, making it impossible to determine the actual cause of the infections.

He attributed the country’s inability to test for COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses to the collapse of testing capacity after the pandemic.

Akase warned that Nigeria lacked the capacity to test for COVID-19, noting that even rapid test kits were no longer readily available.

“It could be COVID, it could be another viral infection, we don’t know. Unfortunately, some of these cases could be fatal while being misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid,” he said.

Sample centres converted to labs

Findings by Saturday PUNCH revealed that COVID-19 sample collection centres in Ikeja have been shut down and converted into full-fledged laboratories.

During visits to Reddington Zainelab, 54gene, Medbury Medical Services, MeCure Healthcare, Clina Lancet Laboratories, Afriglobal Medicare Limited, and SYNLAB Nigeria, it was discovered that none currently conduct COVID-19 sample collection.

An attendant at one of the centres, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the centres had ceased operations for some time.

“The collection centres are no longer working. Even if you go to other centres, you will find they are now full-time laboratories,” she said.

The attendant added that public demand for COVID-19 testing had dropped significantly since 2023.

“Here, we no longer collect samples, and the last time we had someone come here was in 2023. People now just visit for other services,” she explained.

According to her, occasional inquiries about COVID-19 testing still occur, but the services are no longer offered.

“As of yesterday (Tuesday, October 14, 2025), a foreigner came asking for a COVID-19 test. I told him we don’t provide that service here anymore. He insisted he had symptoms similar to those during the pandemic,” she said.

A supervisor at Duchess International Hospital, Ikeja, also confirmed the hospital had closed its COVID-19 sample collection centre.

“At the moment, we no longer have a sample collection centre here,” the supervisor stated.

NCDC on alert over COVID-19 rise

The NCDC revealed it is aware of rising cases of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Director-General of the agency, Dr Jide Idris, told Saturday PUNCH that the agency was closely monitoring the situation, especially amid concerns about a wave of flu-like illnesses in Lagos.

He explained that while COVID-19 activities in Nigeria remain low, the NCDC had intensified surveillance and preparedness measures to prevent a resurgence.

“The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is aware of the recent global increase in respiratory infections, including rising COVID-19 cases in the US and UK. We also acknowledge concerns regarding the persistent wave of flu-like illnesses in Lagos State, especially given the state’s status as Nigeria’s primary international travel hub.

“Our teams are monitoring trends in respiratory illnesses through the Influenza Sentinel Surveillance Network and sequencing all positive COVID-19 samples to detect emerging variants early,” he said.

Idris added that surveillance had been strengthened at all ports of entry, including land borders, seaports, and airports, in collaboration with Port Health Services.

“Travellers entering Nigeria are encouraged to complete the Health Declaration Form via the Nigeria International Travel Portal,” he said.

He advised the public to remain vigilant and maintain preventive measures such as hand hygiene, proper cough etiquette, and the use of face masks in crowded areas.

“We encourage prompt testing and care when symptoms develop and remind high-risk groups to stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations,” Idris added.

Efforts to reach Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, and the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, for comment were unsuccessful on Thursday.

Text messages sent to them were also not replied to as of the time of filing this report.

COVID-19 deaths in UK

Across Europe, Asia, and North America, health authorities are warning of overlapping outbreaks of flu, COVID-19, and other respiratory viruses.

The United Kingdom is experiencing a fresh surge in COVID-19 infections, hospitalisations, and deaths as winter approaches.

According to the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency, 3,206 cases were recorded in the first week of October 2025, representing a 19 per cent rise from the previous week.

The positive test rate climbed to 12.2 per cent, indicating growing community transmission.

The data also shows hospital admissions rose to 2,077 by September 30, a 9.7 per cent increase, while weekly deaths rose to 87.

With 13 additional deaths, the number of casualties was updated to 100 by Friday, representing 14.9 per cent increase.

The UK Government warned that new COVID-19 variants were still circulating and urged residents to remain cautious and take up vaccinations.

“It is normal and expected for viruses to change over time. Current variants, like previous ones, spread easily through droplets released when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks,” the health security agency stated.

The government added that symptoms of the new variants often resembled the common cold, with patients reporting sore throats, hoarse voices, fatigue, and congestion. Some described the sore throat as feeling like “razor blades.”

People aged 75 and above, care home residents, and those with weakened immune systems remain eligible for the autumn booster.

Authorities also expressed concern about rising flu cases, warning that influenza continues to pose a serious threat during winter.

Data showed that last winter, flu was linked to about 8,000 deaths, more than double the 3,500 deaths recorded the previous year, though lower than the 16,000 fatalities during the 2022–2023 season.

New COVID-19 strain in US states

Also, a new strain of COVID-19, known as XFG or Stratus, is driving a fresh wave of coronavirus infections across 19 states in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

NewsNation also reported that the 19 states are experiencing “high” or “very high” levels of the XFG variant.

On its website, the CDC stated that since Saturday, September 20, 2025, the following states have recorded the highest levels of COVID-19 viral activity: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington.

The World Health Organisation stated on its website that the Stratus variant was first detected in Southeast Asia in January 2025 and had spread to at least 38 countries by June.

Health experts explained that Stratus has mutated in a way that allows it to evade immune defences more effectively than its predecessor, the Nimbus variant, which was known for causing severe “razor blade” sore throat symptoms.

Stony Brook Medicine, the academic medical centre of Stony Brook University in New York, also noted on its website: “Stratus may be harder for the body to fight off, particularly for individuals who are unvaccinated or have not had a previous infection.”

Hospitals across major Indian cities are equally reporting a sharp increase in influenza cases over the past three weeks, with doctors noting that patients were taking longer than usual to recover.

According to The Times of India, Saturday PUNCH found that many patients are presenting with high fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, and weakness.

While most cases are mild, some patients require hospital care due to complications or prolonged recovery.

At Max Super Speciality Hospital in Saket, Delhi, the trend is similar.

The Director of Internal Medicine, Dr Rommel Tickoo, said, “In the past two weeks, more than half of the patients visiting the out-patient department with fever have exhibited flu-like symptoms. H3N2 appears to be the predominant strain.”

A Senior Consultant of Internal Medicine, Dr Arvind Aggarwal, added, “We are currently treating about 15 to 18 flu patients daily. Most present with high fever, sore throat, cough, congestion, and sometimes gastrointestinal infections. While most recover within a week, weakness and cough may linger for up to two weeks. A small fraction, particularly the elderly, young children, and those with heart or lung disease, may develop serious symptoms requiring hospitalisation.”

Meanwhile, Reuters reported on October 14 that around 6,000 students in Malaysia have been infected with influenza, prompting the closure of some schools to protect children and staff.