ACPN To Lawmakers: Halt New Health Commissions, Fix Failing Oversight First

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has warned the National Assembly against creating new health commissions, urging lawmakers to “shun unnecessary bureaucracies” and focus instead on strengthening existing structures established under the National Health Act (NH-Act) 2014.

In a strong worded statement jointly signed by its National Chairman, Pharm. Ambrose Omokhafe Ashore, FPSN, the ACPN said it was disturbed by proposals raised during recent public hearings seeking the creation of a Surrogacy Commission, a Tertiary Health Institutions Commission, and multiple Sickle Cell Centres across the country.

According to the association, these proposals are “economically unrealistic, administratively wasteful, and legally unnecessary,” noting that the NH-Act already created the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee (NTHISC), which has the lawful mandate to regulate tertiary hospitals.

“The attempt to create three commissions from structures already established in the NH-Act 2014 is unnecessary, especially concerning organ trafficking regulations and surrogacy procedures that are already captured under the NTHISC,” the statement said.

The group stressed that what has been lacking is not new commissions but the failure of the National Assembly to provide adequate oversight that would empower existing statutory bodies to deliver on their mandates.

“What is missing has been proper oversight responsibilities by the National Assembly, which ought to strengthen the NTHISC to carry out its statutory functions,” the ACPN added.

While acknowledging the heavy burden of sickle cell disease in Nigeria, the association condemned the proposal to establish several Sickle Cell Research Centres simultaneously, describing it as financially unrealistic. It noted that national research institutions—such as the Nigeria Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) and the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) remain critically underfunded.

“Presently, NIPRD doesn’t enjoy a recurrent or capital expenditure budget of up to ₦20 million monthly. It is not appropriate to contemplate setting up parallel structures when gross underfunding persists in this research institute,” the ACPN warned.

It further described the proposed organogram for the new centres as “unprecedented and administratively ridiculous,” recommending instead the establishment of one central Sickle Cell Research Institute, complemented by strengthening the 73 Federal Health Institutions already available to advance care.

The association also expressed concern about what it called a “systemic failure of governance” in the Federal Ministry of Health, citing leadership lapses, partisanship, and neglect. It listed several red flags: Non-reconstitution of boards of 73 Federal Health Institutions; Failure to inaugurate boards of 13 professional regulatory councils; Dormant boards across multiple MDAs; and
Long-standing vacancies left unfilled for over a year

The ACPN further drew attention to the ongoing JOHESU strike, which began on November 15, 2025, describing it as a crisis worsened by unpaid 12-year entitlements and persistent government delays.

Given Nigeria’s limited health budget, the association insisted that lawmakers must prioritise realistic, cost-effective reforms.

“One of the challenges, despite the highlighted absurdities, is a paucity of funds to support needed reforms. This must therefore compel very realistic initiatives,” it said.

The statement concluded with a direct appeal to legislators:
“Finally, the ACPN urges the National Assembly to create new bureaucracies only when it becomes obviously necessary.”