The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the proposed National Institute for Public Health and Infectious Diseases (NIPHID), Zaria,...
Aminu said the organisations based their objections on a misreading of the bill before the National Assembly, arguing that they had relied on provisions that were either contained in an earlier draft or did not exist in the current gazetted version.
He maintained that the bill, sponsored by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, neither creates a parallel public health agency nor duplicates the statutory responsibilities of the NCDC.
According to him, the proposed institute is designed as a specialist tertiary institution dedicated to infectious disease clinical care, postgraduate training and advanced research, while complementing the NCDC's mandate in disease surveillance, outbreak response and national coordination.
"The opposition is based on a fundamental misreading of the bill. The organisations appear to have analysed an earlier, superseded draft or an entirely different document," Aminu said.
He cited Section 21 of the bill, which, according to him, expressly provides that the institute "shall not duplicate the statutory public health surveillance, outbreak response or national coordination functions of the NCDC."
Aminu added that the same section requires collaboration between the institute and the NCDC in specialist training, joint research and outbreak investigation support whenever requested by the agency.
He also dismissed claims that the bill designates the institute as Nigeria's International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point, saying no such provision exists in the legislation.
Similarly, he rejected assertions that the institute would establish zonal offices nationwide, explaining that the bill only provides for its headquarters in Zaria while permitting collaborative training and research units where necessary.
The acting CEO said the institute represents the upgrade of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Training Centre, Zaria, a facility with more than 60 years of experience, and would inherit its personnel, infrastructure and institutional capacity.
He said the proposed institute would strengthen Nigeria's health security by expanding specialist infectious disease care, advancing research, producing highly skilled professionals and supporting national outbreak preparedness and response.
Aminu also defended the funding proposal under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), describing the allocation as modest and necessary to support specialist healthcare delivery, research and workforce development.
Responding to concerns raised by the NCDC, he referred to the submission of the agency's Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, at the House of Representatives public hearing on the proposed legislation.
Idris had argued that some provisions of the bill appeared to overlap with the statutory responsibilities of the NCDC, warning that such duplication could create institutional conflicts and weaken Nigeria's coordinated public health emergency response.
However, Aminu maintained that a careful reading of the gazetted bill showed no provision empowering the proposed institute to coordinate outbreaks, conduct national disease surveillance, serve as Nigeria's IHR National Focal Point or exercise regulatory authority.
He challenged the NCDC to publish its promised clause-by-clause analysis of the bill to enable objective public scrutiny and informed debate on the proposed legislation.
Aminu urged the NCDC, NIDS and HSRC to review the authentic gazetted version of the bill, reconsider their opposition and engage constructively with the bill's sponsors to address any genuine concerns.
"Nigeria needs a strong NCDC. It also needs strong clinical, training and research institutions to support the NCDC. The proposed National Institute for Public Health and Infectious Diseases is intended to complement, not compete with, the NCDC," he said.
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