Concerns over duplication of roles dominated a public hearing in Abuja as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) opposed a bill proposing a new National Institute for Public Health and Infectious Diseases.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, told the House of Representatives Committee on Infectious Diseases that the proposed agency would overlap with the functions of the existing centre and could weaken coordination during outbreaks.
“The core responsibilities proposed for the new institute are substantially the same as those currently assigned to the NCDC”, Idris said, warning of “institutional overlap” and “governance conflicts”.
He stressed that Nigeria’s outbreak response system relies on a single command structure and cautioned that a parallel agency could create confusion during emergencies. Idris also raised concerns about funding, particularly plans to draw from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, saying it could strain existing health financing priorities.
Lawmakers supporting the bill, however, argued that the new institute would strengthen preparedness for future epidemics and improve national health security.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, represented at the hearing, described the proposal as a strategic step to address gaps exposed by past disease outbreaks.
The public hearing also considered a separate bill on tuberculosis anti-discrimination as legislative work continues on both proposals.
