Abuja, Jan. 13, 2026 (NAN) Healthcare experts and clinicians have renewed calls for far-reaching reforms in Nigeria’s health sector following the death of Nkanu Nnamdi, son of Chimamanda Adichie, at a hospital in Lagos.
The incident had reignited a national debate on patient safety, accountability, and the absence of effective oversight in healthcare delivery across the country.
The experts told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview on Tuesday in Abuja, that there was need for renewed reforms in the health sector.
The growing convergence of views among the healthcare professionals, legal experts, and policy advocates reflected the increasing urgency of a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s healthcare regulatory architecture.
The aim is to prevent avoidable deaths and restore public confidence in the health system.
Dr Richardson Ajayi, the Founder of Bridge Clinic Fertility Centre, Abuja, harped on the need to strengthen the healthcare centres.
“While healthcare depends on the dedication of doctors and other professionals, patient safety ultimately rests on the strength of the systems that support them.
“To build real trust, we need clear standards, transparent oversight and continuous improvement, without blaming those on the front line,” he said.
Ajayi called for the establishment of a National Health Facilities Regulatory Agency to set and enforce minimum standards, accredit healthcare facilities and strengthen the quality of care nationwide.
He urged the public to await the outcome of official investigations into Adichie’s case, adding that her account of the circumstances surrounding her son’s death was deeply troubling and underscored long-standing systemic failure.
“Healthcare operates in a life-and-death environment where market forces alone cannot guarantee safe, equitable and affordable care.
“Regulation is essential to define standards, protect patients’ rights, safeguard data and coordinate responses to public health emergencies,” Ajayi said.
Also speaking, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr Olisa Agbakoba warned that Nigeria’s healthcare system was failing patients due to weak oversight and enforcement.
He called for an immediate creation of an independent Health Regulatory Authority and the reinstatement of Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) at the federal and state levels.
“The fundamental problem underlying these tragedies is the complete failure of the legal and regulatory framework governing Nigeria’s health sector,” Agbakoba said.
He added that preventable deaths would persist unless oversight mechanisms were urgently restored.
Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in medical malpractice litigation, he said Nigeria once operated a functional supervisory system anchored by Chief Medical Officers and Health Inspectors, but that the structure had collapsed under the current legal framework.
“Today, under the National Health Act and State Health Laws, there are no routine inspections, no systematic reporting, and no effective enforcement of professional standards,” he said.
Agbakoba criticised the current arrangement where Ministers and Commissioners of Health oversee both policy and regulation.
He described it as a “fundamental governance failure,” and called for a clear separation of policy formulation from regulatory enforcement.
He said his law firm was currently handling 25 medical negligence cases, stressing that the Adichie incident was only a fraction of a much wider systemic crisis.
Meanwhile, Mr Jide Falaki, Senior Vice-President, Finance and Treasurer at McKesson, United State, raised questions about the appropriate structure for health regulation in Nigeria, given the country’s federal system of government.
Falaki noted that healthcare is on the concurrent legislative list, with states constitutionally responsible for regulating healthcare delivery within their territories.
According to him, this reality must be carefully considered in designing any national regulatory framework.
Similarly, Dr Ndayi Amdii, a Consultant Gynaecologist and Fertility Clinician at Bridge Clinic Fertility Centre, said consistent and timely regulation of healthcare facilities in Nigeria was long overdue.
“Though in Adichie’s case there appears to be more than meets the eye, I speak from experience, having also been at the receiving end of Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system,” Amdii said.
He noted that stronger regulation was not optional but fundamental to patient’s safety.
“Regulation is not only an imperative; it is as basic as the air we breathe,” the consultant said. (NAN)
