The Senate has passed the National Agency for Malaria Elimination Bill, creating a dedicated federal institution to coordinate a nationwide, data-driven campaign against malaria and establishing what the bill’s sponsor described as a realistic pathway to ending one of Nigeria’s most devastating and persistent public health challenges.
Senator Ned Nwoko, who represents Delta North and sponsored the legislation, said the Senate’s approval marked a milestone that could transform Nigeria’s approach from routine treatment of infections to a coordinated national strategy aimed at eliminating the disease altogether. He said malaria had been eliminated in several countries globally and that Nigeria could replicate those successes with sustained political commitment, effective coordination, and targeted interventions.
The bill, titled A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Agency for Malaria Elimination and for Related Matters, 2025, was first introduced in the Senate in May 2025 before undergoing committee scrutiny and extensive stakeholder consultations including a public hearing attended by health experts, government agencies, development partners, and civil society organizations. The Senate Committee on Health reported overwhelming stakeholder support for the creation of a dedicated institution focused exclusively on malaria elimination rather than continuing the current treatment-centred approach.
Lawmakers adopted the term elimination rather than eradication in line with international public health standards. The proposed agency would be responsible for coordinating malaria prevention, surveillance, environmental management, research, public awareness campaigns, and elimination programs nationwide, with zonal and state offices to drive coordinated interventions across all tiers of government.
With Senate approval secured, the bill proceeds to the House of Representatives for concurrence before being transmitted to the president for assent. Nwoko said sustained investments in environmental sanitation, waste management, fumigation, scientific research, and innovation would significantly reduce mosquito breeding and lower malaria-related deaths. He said no amount of money spent to save lives was too much and that Nigeria must stop treating preventable deaths as normal.
