The Senate has successfully passed for second reading a bill aimed at establishing the National Agency for Malaria Eradication (NAME), a key initiative to address Nigeria’s ongoing malaria crisis. The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Agency for Malaria Eradication and for Related Matters, 2025 (SB. 172),” was sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North) and presented during Thursday’s plenary session.
According to the World Health Organization’s 2024 report, Nigeria is responsible for more than 184,000 out of the 600,000 malaria-related deaths globally each year, making it the country with the highest number of malaria fatalities worldwide. Senator Nwoko described the situation as a national emergency that requires immediate and coordinated legislative action.
He emphasized that malaria is not just a public health issue but a structural crisis, severely affecting maternal health, economic productivity, and national development. The senator highlighted that malaria is responsible for approximately 11% of maternal deaths in Nigeria, contributing to miscarriages, stillbirths, infant deaths, and severe anaemia.
Beyond its health impacts, Nwoko also pointed out the significant economic consequences, including the loss of millions of man-hours, reduced productivity in businesses, and the growing strain on the healthcare system.
The proposed bill suggests creating an autonomous, centralised agency that would oversee national malaria eradication efforts. The agency would be tasked with formulating and implementing national policies, coordinating responses across various sectors, mobilising resources efficiently, and supporting vaccine research and genetic innovations for malaria.
Nwoko criticized the fragmented and ineffective current malaria control efforts in Nigeria, stating that the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) lacks operational capacity, and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has limited reach.
Drawing a comparison to the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nwoko questioned why malaria continues to be an issue despite its longstanding presence in the country. “If malaria were endemic to Europe or North America, we would not still be grappling with it a century later,” he remarked.
The bill received broad support from senators across party lines, including Senators Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central), Ede Dafinone (APC, Delta Central), Babangida Oseni (APC, Jigawa North West), and Onyewuchi Francis (LP, Imo East), who all praised the proposed agency as a necessary and overdue step toward eradicating malaria in Nigeria.
Following the plenary session, Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North) referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Health for further scrutiny. The committee has been given a four-week period to report back to the Senate.
