Following a high-profile medical tragedy, human rights lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba, is urging urgent legal reforms to curb what he describes as widespread medical negligence in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Body: In a petition dated February 4, 2026, addressed to the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, Agbakoba warned that weak regulation has allowed negligence to thrive in both public and private hospitals.
He linked his call to the recent death of Nnamdi Nkanu, one of the twin sons of acclaimed writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, following what was reported as a routine medical procedure in a Lagos hospital. According to Agbakoba, the case exposes serious gaps in oversight, especially in anaesthesia use and patient monitoring.
Drawing on more than 20 years of medical malpractice litigation, Agbakoba said the incident reflects a systemic failure, not an isolated error. He cited preventable deaths, weak supervision, alleged manipulation of medical records, and a culture of impunity within the health sector.
He criticised the concentration of regulatory powers within State Ministries of Health, arguing that the merger of policy and enforcement has weakened inspections, investigations, and public reporting on patient safety.
Agbakoba called on State Houses of Assembly to enact Clinical Negligence and Patient Safety laws, establish independent state healthcare quality commissions, mandate professional indemnity insurance, and create faster compensation mechanisms for victims.
He also raised concerns over poor health funding, recalling Nigeria’s pledge under the 2001 Abuja Declaration to allocate 15 percent of budgets to healthcare and urged better coordination between federal and state regulators.
