The House of Representatives has begun moves to expand the mandate of the National Agency for the Control of HIV and AIDS (NACA) to cover tuberculosis and malaria, alongside a proposal to establish a dedicated trust fund to support the fight against the three infectious diseases.
The proposal is contained in House Bill 2523, which seeks to amend the National Agency for the Control of HIV and AIDS Act, 2004, to incorporate tuberculosis and malaria into the agency’s mandate.
Speaking at a one-day public hearing on the bill in Abuja on Wednesday, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, said the proposed amendment could strengthen coordination, improve resource mobilisation and enhance accountability in Nigeria’s response to the diseases.
Abbas, who was represented at the hearing organised by the House Committee on Infectious Diseases, said the country could not fully realise its economic potential while preventable and treatable diseases continued to undermine the lives and productivity of its citizens.
He stressed that any institutional reform must preserve the specialised expertise, dedicated resources and technical capacity required to tackle HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria effectively.
“The real test of this Bill is not whether it brings three disease-control programmes under one institutional umbrella, but whether it strengthens our ability to prevent infections, provide timely diagnosis, deliver effective treatment and save lives,” the Speaker said.
He cautioned that expanding an agency’s responsibilities without providing adequate resources could weaken its capacity to deliver results, adding that the proposed changes must be guided by evidence and carefully designed safeguards.
The Speaker urged stakeholders to scrutinise the institutional arrangements, funding mechanisms and accountability measures required to ensure that the proposed amendment delivers tangible improvements in public health outcomes.
In his welcome address, Chairman of the House Committee on Infectious Diseases, Amobi Ogah, said the bill was designed to promote a more coordinated and sustainable national response to the three diseases.
Ogah disclosed that the proposal would establish dedicated offices for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria within the agency, with each having its own leadership and budget line to maintain disease-specific accountability.
He said the bill also proposed a HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Trust Fund, to be managed by a Board of Trustees, to support the implementation of programmes targeting the three diseases.
According to him, the proposed framework is intended to strengthen coordination, mobilise additional domestic resources and improve accountability for the use of funds allocated to disease-control programmes.
Ogah clarified that the proposal was not intended to undermine existing institutions or disregard the expertise developed by disease-specific programmes over the years.
Rather, he said, the objective was to build on existing structures while addressing fragmentation in planning, financing and implementation.
The committee chairman noted that Nigeria continued to face a significant burden from the three diseases, with about two million people living with HIV, while the country accounted for approximately a quarter of global malaria cases and about 30 per cent of malaria deaths.
He also identified Nigeria as one of the countries with the highest tuberculosis burden globally.
Ogah expressed concern over mounting pressure on international development financing, noting that Nigeria needed to strengthen domestic funding mechanisms to sustain its public health programmes.
The committee chairman further emphasised the need to protect technical expertise, preserve disease-specific accountability and ensure that any reform did not disrupt existing funding arrangements or essential health services.
Both the Speaker and the committee chairman stressed the importance of ensuring equitable access to healthcare, particularly for rural communities, low-income households, women, children and other vulnerable groups.
The public hearing is expected to provide stakeholders, including health professionals, government agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and affected communities, an opportunity to examine the proposed legislation and recommend improvements.
Abbas commended the committee for initiating the process, expressing confidence that the deliberations would contribute to a more coordinated, accountable and effective response to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Nigeria.
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