The Nigerian Senate has passed a bill that could transform the country’s approach to fighting malaria.
Sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North), the proposed legislation seeks to create the National Agency for Malaria Eradication, an autonomous, specialized body focused solely on eliminating the disease that claims more Nigerian lives than any other.
At Thursday’s plenary session, Senator Nwoko delivered a compelling address, describing malaria not just as a health issue but as a national emergency that requires urgent, coordinated action.
“Malaria causes over 600,000 deaths in Africa each year, and Nigeria bears the brunt,” he stated.
“Behind these numbers are broken homes, lost futures, and a distressed economy.”
Citing the World Health Organization’s 2024 report, Nwoko noted that malaria kills over 184,000 Nigerians annually.
He emphasized the disease’s disproportionate impact on women and children, linking it to 11% of maternal deaths and a significant number of miscarriages, stillbirths, and infant fatalities.
Beyond the human toll, malaria severely undermines national productivity.
“Millions of productive hours are lost, and billions of naira are drained from the economy every year,” he said.
“Yet our response has been fragmented, reactive, and woefully underfunded,” he added.
Nwoko criticized the limitations of existing institutions like the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), saying they lack the scale, authority, and resources for a full-scale eradication campaign.
“Our mosquitoes are evolving.
“Our parasites are adapting. It’s time our institutions do the same,” he said.
“We need a science-driven, well-funded agency dedicated entirely to ending malaria in Nigeria.”
If enacted, the new agency would unify all malaria-related efforts, ensure transparent resource management, and drive innovation, from vaccine development to advanced genetic interventions targeting malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
The bill’s successful second reading signals a potential turning point in Nigeria’s decades-long battle with malaria, laying the groundwork for a coordinated, strategic, and sustainable solution backed by legislative authority.
