In recent years, the challenges posed by global health crises have revealed the urgent need for stronger public health institutions. Nigeria’s experience with COVID-19 brought these issues into sharp relief, exposing gaps in our public health laws and showing just how critical it is for our disease control mechanisms to be flexible, well-funded, and capable of swift action. Against this backdrop, a new bill amending the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) Act of 2018 offers the country an opportunity to solidify its defences against future pandemics and epidemics.
The NCDC Amendment Bill (SB. 560), sponsored by Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo (Rivers West) and currently before the Senate, proposes crucial updates to the original 2018 Act that initially established the NCDC. The bill, similar to the previously passed bill of the 9th National Assembly in 2023, represents the second attempt to revise and enhance the agency’s mandate since its formal institutionalisation. These changes are not merely procedural; they are foundational to the NCDC’s ability to carry out its mission. Today, the agency stands as Nigeria’s foremost public health institution, serving as the focal point for implementing the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005, a global legal framework aimed at preventing and controlling disease spread across borders.
The NCDC’s statutory responsibilities include preventing, detecting, and controlling infectious diseases while coordinating surveillance to analyse health data nationwide. This mission is ambitious but vital, especially given the NCDC’s role in responding to the Ebola outbreak in 2014, which marked its first major mobilization and, more recently, its critical role in handling COVID-19. However, as the pandemic laid bare, the NCDC’s legal and operational framework needs strengthening to handle emergencies effectively. COVID-19 highlighted inadequacies in Nigeria’s public health laws—at both federal and state levels—showing that many areas lack statutory clarity and robust enforcement mechanisms for public health measures.
Key challenges became glaringly evident. The agency lacked a reliable funding structure to support continuous disease surveillance and emergency response activities, which severely limited its operations during the height of the pandemic. Furthermore, gaps in legal provisions impeded the rapid operationalisation of public health measures such as contact tracing, quarantine enforcement, and coordinated inter-agency responses. This bill, therefore, is not merely a procedural update but a necessary enhancement to enable the NCDC to safeguard public health effectively.
In response, the 9th Senate initiated the Public Health Emergency Bill in 2022, a very robust effort to establish a legal framework for addressing public health emergencies. Building on this, the current NCDC Act (Amendment) Bill (SB. 560) specifically focuses on strengthening the agency’s capacity to detect, prepare for, and respond to disease outbreaks, supporting its central role in public health. This amendment aims to ensure that the NCDC has not only the authority but also the resources to fulfil its mandate.
Among its key provisions, the bill seeks to formalise the NCDC’s authority in leading the National One Health Coordination Mechanism, a multi-sectoral approach essential for tracking and controlling infectious diseases. Given the NCDC’s role as Nigeria’s IHR focal point, the agency already spearheads this initiative, but it currently lacks a legislative mandate. By enshrining this coordination responsibility into law, the bill ensures that the NCDC can effectively mobilise and manage public health responses across federal agencies, aligning health, agriculture, and environmental efforts to control zoonotic diseases and prevent cross-species outbreaks.
Another central element of the proposed amendment is the establishment of an Emergency Preparedness Fund. During the Senate retreat and deliberations on the Public Health Emergency Bill, stakeholders underscored the importance of a dedicated funding source for epidemic preparedness. The current funding system, which relies heavily on standard budgetary appropriations, is simply insufficient for the dynamic requirements of disease surveillance and emergency response. Unlike conventional public health funding, which can be stretched thin and delayed by bureaucratic processes, an Emergency Preparedness Fund would give the NCDC the resources necessary to respond immediately to potential outbreaks. This fund would support essential surveillance, epidemiological investigation, and disease control measures, equipping the agency to act proactively rather than reactively.
The bill also seeks to institutionalise the National Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) as a permanent entity within the NCDC. Established initially as an Incident Coordination Centre, the PHEOC has proven invaluable as a command centre during outbreaks. The centre’s capacity to aggregate outbreak reports, analyse disease trends, and coordinate response activities nationwide provides a strategic advantage in mobilising resources and personnel swiftly. By establishing the PHEOC as a statutory entity, the bill ensures continuity in emergency preparedness efforts and reinforces the NCDC’s role as the central coordinating body for public health emergencies across Nigeria’s states and regions.
These proposed amendments to the NCDC Act reflect the lessons learned from COVID-19 and other recent health crises. It is now evident that robust legal frameworks are essential for effective epidemic response. By expanding the powers and resources available to the NCDC, the bill represents a significant step forward in building a resilient public health infrastructure for Nigeria. The agency’s enhanced mandate under this amendment would foster greater interagency collaboration, improving coordination with local health authorities and streamlining response mechanisms that are often bogged down by jurisdictional confusion and procedural delays.
As Nigeria’s public health challenges grow more complex in an interconnected world, there is no longer room for bureaucratic inefficiencies and funding uncertainties that stymie critical health interventions. The NCDC’s establishment in 2018 was a landmark achievement, but it is time to strengthen that foundation. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that the cost of inaction, or of inadequate action, can be devastating. Swift legal reform is crucial to avoid these pitfalls in future crises, especially as infectious disease outbreaks become more frequent and increasingly complex.
The amendments in this bill are neither controversial nor redundant. They reflect a proactive approach to securing Nigeria’s public health landscape and supporting an agency that has already demonstrated its capacity to manage severe health threats. By institutionalising the NCDC’s role as the country’s primary health protection agency, equipping it with adequate funding, and strengthening its authority to lead public health responses, this legislation could be transformative.
Now is the time for Nigeria’s lawmakers to rally behind this legislation and support a forward-looking public health strategy. The benefits of a well-funded, legally empowered, and strategically positioned NCDC will extend beyond individual health crises, enhancing Nigeria’s readiness for a spectrum of public health threats. Passage of this amendment is not just about funding; it’s about ensuring that when the next pandemic or health crisis strikes, Nigeria will be prepared.
Written by
Precious Amaka Isoh, Betty Danyi and Blessing Okosun