By Oluwakemi Kindness
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has cautioned against weakening specialised HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programmes as lawmakers consider a bill to expand the mandate of the National Agency for the Control of HIV and AIDS (NACA).
Abbas gave the warning on Wednesday at a public hearing organised by the House Committee on Infectious Diseases at the National Assembly in Abuja.
Represented by Rep. Mansur Manu-Soro, he said the proposed amendment must preserve disease-specific expertise, dedicated resources and technical capacity while improving coordination and the use of public funds.
According to the Speaker, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria have distinct transmission patterns, prevention strategies and treatment requirements that must be considered in any institutional reform.
“The objective must not be to enlarge an institution’s responsibilities on paper while diminishing its capacity to deliver results in practice,” he said.
Abbas said better coordination could reduce duplication, strengthen collaboration and improve the use of shared health infrastructure, diagnostic services and treatment pathways.
He stressed that the success of the proposed reform should be measured by improvements in disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment, as well as lives saved.
Abbas also emphasised the need to improve access to healthcare, particularly for poor households, rural communities, women, children and other vulnerable groups.
Earlier, Chairman of the House Committee on Infectious Diseases, Amobi Godwin Ogah, said the proposed amendment was intended to establish a more coordinated framework for tackling the three diseases.
Ogah said the bill also proposed dedicated offices for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, alongside a proposed HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Trust Fund to support the response to the diseases.
He emphasised the need for sustainable domestic financing as international assistance comes under pressure, urging stakeholders to ensure that funding arrangements are transparent, accountable and capable of supporting long-term health programmes.
The committee chairman also stressed that the proposed reform must preserve technical expertise and disease-specific accountability while improving coordination and resource mobilisation.
The bill seeks to amend the National Agency for the Control of HIV and AIDS Act, 2004, to expand the agency’s mandate to include tuberculosis and malaria. It remains under legislative consideration.
