By Henry Umoru
ABUJA – CRITICAL Stakeholders in the health sector have disagreed on plans by the Senate to establish the National Agency for Malaria Eradication.
This came up yesterday during a public hearing on the bill seeking the establishment of the agency as sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko, APC, Delta North.
In his presentation, the Chief State Counsel in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Imarha Reuben, who argued that creating such an agency, would to duplication of already existing ones and running contrary to implementation of Orosanye’s report, said, ” The Federal Ministry of Justice is against National Agency for Malaria Eradication ( Establishment) Bill 2025 SB 172 to avoid duplication of functions of existing similar agencies in line with implementation of the Orosanye’s report “, he said.
Also kicking against the proposed Agency, the Chairman, Malaria Technical Working Group in Nigeria, Dr Kolawole Maxwell who noted that rather than establish an eradication agency, government at all levels in the country should come up with concerted efforts for total elimination of Malaria, said, ” We recommend that the current eradication target should be changed to elimination.
“We are also suggesting that the malaria program should be housed within a coordinated government structure to avoid fragmentation and for easy coordination.
“If malaria is taken out as an agency, it leads to another fragmentation of the health sector.”
On the part of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ( NAFDAC ), the representative, Fraden Bitrus stressed that concerted efforts towards the eradication of Malaria needed to be strengthened, but should not involve the creation of a new agency.
However, the President of Environmental Health Officers Association , FCT Chapter , Ismaila Haruna Dankogi who supported the move for establishment of Malaria Eradication Agency, said that the proposed agency, will help the country to change its approach of dealing with malaria from curative to preventive .
On her part, the Executive Director of Community Vision Initiative , Dr Chioma Amajoh strongly supported move for establishment of the agency which according to her, will serve as required springboard for coordinated action against Malaria .
Dr Amajoh is fondly called Mama Malaria , passionately appealed to the committee to allow the proposal see the light of the day , ” saying ” Clinical Case management of Malaria in Nigeria over the decades, has failed to tame the scorge”.
Earlier in his remarks at the commencement of the public hearing , the President of the Senate , Godswill Akpabio, said “It is time to move from seasonal campaigns to institutionalized eradication, backed by law, science, and accountability”
In her closing remarks , the Chairman of the Committee , Senator Ipalibo Banigo ( Rivers West ) , thanked all the stakeholders for their inputs into the proposed legislation and assured them of objective considerations of submissions made .
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