The Senate on Thursday passed for second reading a bill seeking to establish the National Agency for Malaria Eradication (NAME).
The proposed legislation sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North) is titled, “A Bill for an act to establish the National Agency for Malaria Eradication and for Related Matters, 2025.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) 2024 report indicates that malaria death toll in Nigeria accounts for over 184,000 out of 600,000 global malaria deaths annually—the highest in the world.
In his lead debate, Senator Nwoko said there is an urgent need to establish the agency, describing malaria as a national emergency.
Nwoko said malaria contributes to about 11% of maternal mortality in Nigeria and is responsible for severe anaemia, miscarriages, stillbirths, and infant deaths.
“Malaria is not merely a public health issue; it is a structural crisis that impairs maternal health, drains economic productivity, and impedes national development.
“A fragmented structure cannot confront a mutating threat. We need a unified, science-driven, and legislatively backed institution with the singular mandate to end malaria in Nigeria,” he said.
Debating the bill, Senators Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central), Ede Dafinone (APC, Delta Central), Babangida Oseni (APC, Jigawa North West), and Onyewuchi Francis (LP, Imo East) who spoke during plenary supported the proposed legislation.
After passage for second reading, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), who presided over the session referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Health for further legislative action.
The committee is expected to review and report back to plenary in four weeks.
