By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Nigeria is taking bold steps towards the attainment of malaria-free status as the Senate on Wednesday passed for third reading a bill seeking the establishment of a National Agency for Malaria Elimination – a move lawmakers described as a major step towards combating one of Nigeria’s deadliest public health challenges.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North), scaled third reading after the Senate considered and adopted the report of the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), chaired by Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo (Rivers West).
Presenting the report, the committee stated that the proposed agency would serve as the central coordinating body for all national efforts aimed at preventing, controlling and ultimately eliminating malaria in Nigeria.
According to the committee, the establishment of the agency would mark a strategic shift in the country’s approach to malaria management by focusing more on prevention and elimination rather than treatment alone.
“The agency, when established, will help shift the country’s approach from curative to preventive and elimination strategies,” the report stated.
The committee further explained that the agency would operate through zonal and state offices across the federation to ensure effective implementation of its programmes. It added that its operations would be guided by a strategic framework anchored on scientific research, accountability and legal backing.
Speaking after the passage of the bill, President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, described the legislation as a landmark intervention in Nigeria’s fight against malaria.
He noted that malaria remains one of the most prevalent illnesses in the country and across Africa, stressing the need for innovative and coordinated efforts to tackle the disease.
“This is a landmark piece of legislation in the war against malaria, which remains one of the most common ailments in this part of the world,” Akpabio said.
Addressing journalists after the Senate’s approval of the bill, Senator Nwoko expressed optimism that malaria elimination in Nigeria is both practical and achievable.
He revealed that his interest in the issue was driven by extensive research, including a fact-finding trip to Antarctica with some of his legislative aides, which helped shape the proposed legislation.
“In the course of my research on malaria elimination, I travelled to Antarctica with some of my legislative aides. Following that research, I sponsored this bill, which passed second reading in May last year and has now passed third reading in the Senate,” he said.
The lawmaker maintained that Nigeria has the capacity to become the first country in Africa to successfully eliminate malaria if the proposed agency is established and adequately supported.
According to him, the agency would deploy a comprehensive strategy involving effective waste management, environmental sanitation, fumigation, research and vaccine development to combat the disease.
“Eradicating or eliminating malaria is achievable in Nigeria through a special agency dedicated to that purpose. The agency, when established, will pursue aggressive measures, including effective waste management, fumigation and vaccine research, to ensure the elimination of malaria in Nigeria,” Nwoko said.
The bill will now proceed to the House of Representatives for concurrence before being transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent if approved by both chambers of the National Assembly.
