The Senate has taken a significant step toward tackling Nigeria’s long-standing malaria crisis, as a bill to establish the National Agency for Malaria Eradication (NAME) passed its second reading on Thursday.
Sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North), the bill—A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Agency for Malaria Eradication and for Related Matters, 2025 (SB. 172)—seeks to create a dedicated institution to drive Nigeria’s malaria response, which remains the deadliest in the world. According to the World Health Organization’s 2024 report, Nigeria accounted for over 184,000 of the 600,000 malaria deaths recorded globally last year.
Following debate, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Health for further legislative work. The committee is expected to report back within four weeks.
In his lead presentation, Senator Nwoko described malaria as a national emergency, stressing that its impact extends far beyond public health. “Malaria is not merely a health issue,” he said. “It is a structural crisis that undermines maternal health, reduces workforce productivity, and stalls national progress.”
He cited alarming statistics, noting malaria contributes to approximately 11% of maternal deaths in Nigeria and remains a major cause of anaemia, stillbirths, and infant mortality. The economic cost, he warned, is also staggering, with millions of work hours lost annually, affecting businesses and overall national output.
Senator Nwoko criticized the fragmented nature of current malaria control efforts, particularly targeting the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), which he said lack the reach and capacity to mount a unified and effective response.
He argued that the scale and persistence of malaria in Nigeria demand the kind of urgent, well-funded, and coordinated effort seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. “If malaria were endemic in Europe or North America, it would not still be ravaging populations a century later,” he remarked.
The proposed agency, NAME, is envisioned as a centralized, autonomous institution with the authority and resources to:
Develop and implement a national malaria eradication strategy
Coordinate efforts across ministries, agencies, and sectors
Efficiently mobilize and manage both domestic and international funding
Support vaccine development and genetic innovations targeting malaria parasites and vectors
“This agency must be science-driven, singularly focused, and legislatively empowered to eliminate malaria in Nigeria,” Nwoko said, calling for political will to match the scale of the challenge.
The bill received wide bipartisan support. Senator Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central), Senator Ede Dafinone (APC, Delta Central), Senator Babangida Oseni (APC, Jigawa North West), and Senator Onyewuchi Francis (LP, Imo East) were among those who spoke in favor, describing the proposal as long overdue.
If enacted, the National Agency for Malaria Eradication would represent a historic shift in Nigeria’s approach to combating malaria, aiming to end the country’s unenviable position as the global epicenter of the disease.
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