Senate Advances Bill To Overhaul Nigeria’s Food, Drug Regulation Laws

The Senate on Tuesday passed for second reading a bill seeking to repeal the existing Food, Drug and Related Products (Registration, Etc.) Act and the Food and Drugs Act, replacing them with a single, comprehensive legal framework to regulate food, medical products and other regulated products in Nigeria.

The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senator Suleiman Umar Sadiq (Kwara North), is titled: “A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Food, Drug and Related Products (Registration, Etc.) Act, Cap. F33, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, the Food and Drug Act, Cap. F32, LFN, 2004, and to Enact the Food, Medical Products and Other Regulated Products Act.”

Leading the debate, Sadiq said the legislation was designed to modernise Nigeria’s regulatory framework in line with emerging technologies and global best practices.

“Health is one of the greatest measures of national development. Every government owes its citizens the responsibility of ensuring that the food they consume is safe, the medicines they rely upon are genuine and effective, and every regulated product placed in the Nigerian market meets acceptable standards of quality, safety and efficacy,” he said.

According to the lawmaker, the existing laws, enacted decades ago, no longer adequately address modern developments such as biotechnology, biosimilars, artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostics, online pharmaceutical commerce, increasingly complex global supply chains and the growing threat of counterfeit medical products.

He explained that the proposed law would establish a unified legal framework covering food, medical products, vaccines, medical devices, processed foods, processed animal feeds, active pharmaceutical ingredients, in-vitro diagnostic devices, tobacco products, chemicals, packaged water, home-care products and other items capable of affecting public health.

“The bill introduces comprehensive provisions governing product evaluation before registration, post-marketing surveillance, continuous safety monitoring throughout the product life cycle, product traceability across the supply chain, and mandatory recalls where public safety requires immediate regulatory intervention,” Sadiq stated.

He added that the legislation also introduces, for the first time, comprehensive statutory provisions regulating clinical trials, performance evaluations and other human intervention studies.

Sadiq further said the bill institutionalises internationally recognised quality assurance standards, including Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Distribution Practice (GDP), Good Storage Practice (GSP), Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP).

“This bill positions Nigeria to strengthen its competitiveness within Africa and beyond by aligning its regulatory framework with globally accepted standards, facilitating international regulatory cooperation and supporting the export of Nigerian regulated products into regional and international markets,” he added.

Supporting the bill, Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) described the proposed legislation as long overdue, saying it would strengthen consumer protection and public health.

“By sponsoring this bill, we are updating our laws and safeguarding the health of our citizens. A healthy nation is also a wealthy nation,” Aliero said.

He warned that the continued circulation of substandard and counterfeit medicines posed serious risks to Nigerians and urged lawmakers to support the legislation.

Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Oyelola Ashiru, (Kwara South) also endorsed the bill, saying it reflects current realities in healthcare regulation.

“The sponsor has been able to bring legislation that addresses today’s realities, including biotechnology, biosimilars, intelligence-assisted diagnosis, good distribution and good storage practices, all of which are essential to ensuring product safety,” Ashiru said.

Senator Diket Plang (Plateau Central), a pharmacist, commended the sponsor for deploying his professional expertise to improve Nigeria’s health laws.

“This repeal is timely, especially as the government promotes agricultural production. We must not only produce food but also regulate how it is processed, packaged, preserved and marketed. Quality food translates into quality health,” Plang said.

During the debate, Senator Garba Maidoki ( Kebbi South) advocated greater recognition of traditional medicine in the proposed legislation.

“Most rural dwellers rely on traditional medicine. It is time we have legislation that recognises and regulates indigenous medicine holistically. This will also reduce dependence on imported drugs,” he said.

His remarks drew laughter in the chamber after he suggested that traditional healers serve as intermediaries between people and their ancestors, prompting light-hearted exchanges among lawmakers.

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, praised Sadiq for leveraging his pharmaceutical background to strengthen Nigeria’s legal framework.

“It is not everyone who brings his professional expertise into legislative work with such commitment. Senator Sadiq deserves commendation for using his background as a pharmacist to promote the national interest,” Barau said.

Following broad support from lawmakers, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the bill to a voice vote, and it was overwhelmingly approved for second reading.

The bill was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) for further legislative scrutiny, with a mandate to report back within four weeks.

Commending the sponsor, Akpabio said the proposed legislation would significantly improve the regulation of medicines and healthcare products in the country.

“Health is wealth. We expect all stakeholders to participate actively during the public hearing so that Nigeria will have a comprehensive legal framework to regulate the health and drug sectors in line with global best practices,” Akpabio said.