The Senate has passed a bill seeking to establish the National Agency for Malaria Elimination, marking a significant step in Nigeria’s efforts to tackle one of the country’s most persistent public health challenges.
The legislation scaled third reading on Wednesday after lawmakers adopted the report of the Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary).
The bill, sponsored by Ned Nwoko, is titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Agency for Malaria Elimination and for Related Matters, 2025 (SB.172).”
Presenting the committee’s report, Ipalibo Banigo said the proposed agency would coordinate national efforts aimed at preventing, controlling and ultimately eliminating malaria in Nigeria.
According to Banigo, stakeholder consultations on the bill received broad backing from health professionals, government institutions, civil society organisations and development partners. Participants included representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Justice, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Nigeria Medical Association, Joint Health Sector Union, the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria and the Nigeria End Malaria Council.
The committee said the proposed agency would shift Nigeria’s malaria response from treatment to prevention and elimination. It would also establish zonal and state offices while implementing a legally backed strategic plan focused on science, accountability and measurable outcomes.
Lawmakers adopted the term “elimination” rather than “eradication”, noting that it aligns with internationally recognised terminology for country-level malaria interventions.
Speaking after the bill’s passage, Nwoko described the development as a major milestone in the fight against malaria, insisting that elimination is achievable.
“Malaria has been eliminated in several countries around the world. It is achievable. Nigeria can end malaria, and Africa can end malaria. What is needed is focus, coordination, and political will,” he said.
The senator said the agency would provide the institutional framework needed to drive prevention programmes, environmental management, research, disease surveillance, public awareness campaigns and elimination strategies nationwide.
Nwoko added that the bill was the result of years of advocacy aimed at strengthening efforts to end malaria across Africa. He also recalled undertaking an expedition to Antarctica to draw global attention to the disease burden on the continent.
“Many people have come to accept malaria as a normal part of life. It should not be. We must move beyond treatment to elimination,” he said.
He argued that Nigeria could replicate successes recorded in other countries through improved environmental sanitation, waste management, fumigation, research and innovation.
“There is no amount of money spent to save lives that is too much. Families are still losing loved ones to malaria every day. We cannot continue to treat this as normal,” Nwoko added.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio described the legislation as a landmark intervention in the fight against malaria.
Following its passage in the Senate, the bill will proceed to the House of Representatives for concurrence before being transmitted to Bola Tinubu for assent.
