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The Senate has endorsed for third reading a bill seeking the establishment of the National Agency for Malaria Elimination, aimed at coordinating efforts to prevent, control, and eventually eradicate malaria in Nigeria.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North), was passed following the consideration and adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), chaired by Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo (Rivers West).

According to the committee, the proposed agency will coordinate national malaria elimination programmes and shift the country’s response from treatment-focused interventions to prevention and eradication strategies.

The agency is also expected to establish zonal and state offices to drive implementation through a framework anchored on law, science and accountability.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, described the legislation as a landmark step in the fight against malaria, noting that the disease remains one of Nigeria’s most common health challenges.

Speaking with senate correspondents after the passage, Nwoko expressed confidence that malaria elimination in Nigeria is both practical and achievable.

He said the proposed agency would deploy strategies such as effective waste management, environmental fumigation and vaccine research to combat the disease, adding that its establishment could position Nigeria as the first malaria-free country in Africa.

MalariaTreatment For Newborns

Last month, the World Health Organisation announced that it had given prequalification approval to a malaria treatment for newborns and infants for the first time.

Artemether-lumefantrine is the first antimalarial formulation designed specifically for the youngest victims of the mosquito-borne disease.

It said that the prequalification designation indicated that the medicine met international standards of quality, safety and efficacy.

Before the prequalification approval, infants have been treated with formulations intended for older children — carrying a greater risk of dosage errors, side effects and toxicity.

“For centuries, malaria has stolen children from their parents, and health, wealth and hope from communities,” said WHO’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“But today, the story is changing. New vaccines, diagnostic tests, next-generation mosquito nets and effective medicines, including those adapted for the youngest, are helping to turn the tide.

“Ending malaria in our lifetime is no longer a dream — it is a real possibility, but only with sustained political and financial commitment. Now we can. Now we must,” he added.

In 2024, there were an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths in 80 countries, according to the WHO, and Africa accounts for 95 per cent of cases and deaths, with children under five accounting for three-quarters of those deaths.

The UN health agency says progress against malaria is being hampered by drug resistance, insecticide resistance, diagnostic failure and sharp reductions in foreign aid spending.

Globally, 70 per cent of countries do not have regulatory systems that are robust enough to oversee medicines, vaccines, tests and medical devices.

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A board-certified internal medicine physician, Dr. Anthea Nwandu, has called for Justice to be served in the case involving renowned writer Chimamanda Adichie, whose son was said to have died following alleged negligence by a hospital.

Nwandu stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday.

“The expectation is that the inquest proceeds as planned. We just want to see justice served, due process followed. We want to not have to deal with more and more delays by Euracare’s counsel.

“The delays are just like driving a nail in the wound. It’s just painful, so we expect justice to be served. We expect the legal process to proceed as planned without further delays,” she said on the breakfast show.

We were told that it has been adjourned till October. This is a proceeding that was supposed to have been started back in April, May, and now June; more and more delays now it has been postponed until October, so we just expect that Justice is served and the legal process is followed,” the physician said while speaking on the adjournment of the case.

According to her, the families are devastated.

“As you can well imagine, the families are continuing to be devastated. It’s an unimaginable experience, and they are not doing well; having this case drawn through public scrutiny like this is just extremely painful, honestly.

“Even getting to the end of the case will not bring Nkanu back, but to some degree it’s important for us to get answers, to understand why this happened and get justice done.

This drawn-out proceeding is not helping at all, and so it’s just so painful,” Nwandu added.

Her remarks come after Adichie lost her son on January 7, 2026, at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital.

An inquest into Nkanu Nnamdi Esege’s death commenced on February 25,2026.

However, in May, the coroner sitting at the JIC Taylor Courthouse, Lagos Island, suspended the hearing into the cause of 21-month-old Nkanu’s death, pending further directives from the chief coroner, Justice Mojisola Dada.

On Wednesday, the coroner sitting at the JIC Taylor Courthouse, Lagos Island, further adjourned the case to October 8,2026.

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The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, will deliver the University of Port-Harcourt (UNIPORT) Convocation Lecture on Saturday.

Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, said in a statement on Thursday, that the Minister will speak on the topic; “Leadership and Infrastructure Development in Nigeria: Lesson for future leaders,” at the lecture, which will hold at the New Convocation Arena, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, at 10am.

In a letter dated 20th April, 2026, and signed by the Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari A. Georgewill, said the lecture will provide an opportunity to engage the graduating students and the wider academic community on issues of critical importance to national development, leadership, and the future of our society.

The letter read; “Your Excellency Sir, it is with great honour, deep respect, and a strong sense of admiration that I write, on behalf of the Management of the University of Port Harcourt, to humbly invite Your Excellency to serve as the Convocation Lecturer at our 36th Convocation Ceremony scheduled to hold on Saturday, June 6, 2026.

“Your Excellency’s distinguished record of service to our nation, your exemplary leadership, and your enduring contributions to governance, infrastructural development, and public administration stand as a testament to visionary statesmanship.

“The Convocation Lecture, a central highlight of the ceremony, provides a platform for distinguished personalities of national and global repute to engage our graduating students and the wider academic community on issues of critical importance to national development, leadership, and the future of our
society.

“We believe that your presence and voice at this significant academic milestone will not only honour your Alma Mata but also reinforce the vital connection between leadership, scholarship, and national progress.

“It will equally serve as a source of motivation and direction for our students, who stand at the threshold of new beginnings.”

The Minister, in a letter by his Chief of Staff, Hon Chidi Amadi, dated 23rd April, 2026, conveyed his acceptance of the invitation to serve as Guest Lecturer at the Convocation Ceremony.

“The choice of the above topic among other options available to the Honourable Minister, is informed by his deep conviction that effective leadership must translate into tangible outcomes, particularly through the provision of critical infrastructure, social services and amenities that positively impact the lives of citizens,” the letter read.