NECA, SON, Others Seek Review Of Proposed NAFDAC Bill, Warn Against Regulatory Duplication, Business Disruption
The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has rejected provisions of the proposed Food, Medical Products and Related Products (Registration, Etc.) Bill, 2026, which seek to bring tobacco products under an…
NAFDAC, Nigeria's apex regulator for food, drugs and related consumables, has long operated alongside other agencies such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), which sets and enforces product quality standards across sectors. Overlaps between the two bodies' mandates have periodically sparked friction, with manufacturers complaining of duplicate testing, certification and levies for the same products. The proposed Food, Medical Products and Related Products (Registration, Etc.) Bill, 2026 is the latest attempt by lawmakers to update NAFDAC's enabling law, and it has reignited this long-running turf debate, with its bid to also bring tobacco products under NAFDAC's regulatory umbrella raising fresh concerns.
Coverage across outlets agrees that NECA and SON, joined in some reports by the Federal Ministry of Health, have formally pushed back against the bill, citing fears of overlapping registration requirements, conflicting enforcement actions and higher compliance costs for businesses. Vanguard highlights the specific call to exclude tobacco products from the legislation, while Tribune Online stresses the risk of duplicative approvals between agencies. None of the reports yet detail how the National Assembly plans to respond to these objections, whether amendments are already being drafted, or what timeline lawmakers have set for passing the bill into law.