In a July 8, 2026, memorandum to the Senate Committee at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, AGPNP contended that the proposed National Health Facility Regulatory Agency Bill would impose excessive bureaucracy, encroach on states’ constitutional duties, and jeopardize the independence of existing health professions.
The association asserted that, instead of enhancing healthcare quality, the proposed agency would further entangle Nigeria’s already delicate regulatory framework by duplicating the functions of current oversight bodies.
“Having reviewed the Bill in full, the position advanced in this submission is that the Bill should not be passed into law in its current form or intent. If the Bill is passed, the agency would unnecessarily duplicate functions already vested by statute in existing regulatory bodies, encroach upon the constitutional responsibilities of State Governments, and has the potential to undermine the statutory autonomy of established healthcare professions, increasing inter-professional crisis and the risks would do more harm than good to Nigeria’s already fragile healthcare regulatory landscape. The Committee is respectfully urged to reject the Bill in its entirety rather than merely amend it,” it read in part.
Though the association recognized the bill’s stated objectives, it maintained that the legislation would neither raise healthcare standards nor enhance facility oversight in Nigeria. It additionally claimed that certain provisions seemed intended to elevate medical practitioners over other health professionals and could potentially legitimize what it termed the targeted harassment of private providers.
2026-07-14
