馃嚦馃嚞NigeriaWest Africa
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control opposes new public health institute bill
via Punch Nigeria4 min read
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention NCDC has voiced opposition to a proposed bill aiming to establish a National Institute for Public Health and Infectious Diseases. During a public hearing, Dr. Jide Idris, Director-General of the NCDC, warned that creating another federal public health agency with overlapping functions could weaken Nigeria鈥檚 disease surveillance and emergency response system. He argued that the proposed institute would duplicate responsibilities already assigned to the NCDC, potentially leading to conflicts over leadership and accountability during public health emergencies. Idris highlighted concerns about duplication of mandates, institutional overlap, governance conflicts, and fiscal sustainability, especially given the NCDC's establishment in 2018 as Nigeria's national public health institute with statutory responsibilities for disease surveillance, outbreak response, and emergency preparedness. He noted that public health emergencies require a clear chain of command and that the bill designates the proposed institute as Nigeria鈥檚 National Focal Point for International Health Regulations, a function currently assigned to the NCDC. The NCDC also questioned the financial implications of a new institution with its own infrastructure and workforce, particularly if funded through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, which could strain resources for critical healthcare services. Instead, the NCDC urged lawmakers to strengthen existing public
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The Court of Appeal in Abuja has adjourned the hearing of an appeal challenging the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress, Accord Party, and three other political parties until July 7. The adjournment from June 25 was granted to allow all parties to file and exchange their briefs of argument before the substantive hearing. Counsel for the Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi SAN, informed the court that the record of appeal and the Federal High Court judgment were recently obtained and transmitted to the appellate court. The appeal challenges a Federal High Court judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to deregister these parties for allegedly failing to meet constitutional requirements. However, INEC has opposed the deregistration, arguing that the parties met the constitutional threshold and won elective positions. The Court of Appeal previously ordered a stay of execution of the Federal High Court judgment, preventing INEC from enforcing the deregistration pending the appeal's determination. The suit was initiated by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that the parties did not meet electoral performance benchmarks in the 2023 general election and subsequent by-elections.
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