A bill seeking to repeal Nigeria’s existing food and drug laws and replace them with a single, modern legal framework has passed second reading in the Senate.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senator Sadiq Umar (Kwara North), aims to replace the Food, Drug and Related Products Act and the Food and Drug Act with the Food, Medical Products and Other Regulated Products Act.
Leading the debate, Umar said the current laws are outdated and no longer address modern healthcare challenges such as biotechnology, vaccines, artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostics, online pharmaceutical trade and counterfeit medical products.
“The health of a nation is one of the greatest measures of its development,” Umar said, adding that the bill is designed to ensure food, medicines and other regulated products meet global safety and quality standards.
The bill also introduces stricter measures, including product evaluation before registration, post-market surveillance, product traceability, mandatory recalls, and regulations for clinical trials.
Several senators supported the bill, describing it as timely and necessary to strengthen consumer protection and improve public health. Some lawmakers also called for the inclusion of traditional medicine in the new legal framework.
Following a voice vote, the Senate referred the bill to the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) for further review, with a mandate to report back within four weeks.
