The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has called for stricter regulations and stronger community engagement to curb the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the country.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the Commonwealth Partnership for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS) Programme Sharing and Learning Event and the Africa Leadership-AMS Fellowship Graduation, head of disease prevention and control at NCDC, Dr. Tochi Okwor emphasised the urgent need for improved antimicrobial stewardship to ensure patients receive the right antibiotics at the right dose to prevent resistance.
“It is critical in our AMR journey that when patients arrive at hospitals, they receive high-quality care and are given the correct antibiotics,” she said.
She identified the indiscriminate sale of antibiotics, particularly by patent medicine vendors in communities, as one of the key challenges fueling antibiotic resistance in Nigeria. Many Nigerians, she explained, bypass hospitals and obtain antibiotics without prescriptions, worsening the crisis.
Although regulatory measures exist, enforcement remains complex due to behavioural factors and barriers to healthcare access. Okwor acknowledged that simply imposing regulations is not enough, as many Nigerians rely on patent medicine vendors out of convenience or financial constraints.
“We are working through a multi-sectoral, participatory approach to understand why people prefer patent medicine vendors over hospitals,” she explained. “We cannot ignore these realities, so we are bringing in social scientists to study these behaviours and develop solutions that work for the Nigerian context.”
Okwor reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the One Health approach, a globally recognised strategy that fosters collaboration between the ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment, as well as regulatory agencies like NAFDAC, to combat AMR.
“Nigeria has been recognised as a leading example of the One Health model in AMR response. We bring together stakeholders from civil society, academia and even AMR survivors to ensure a comprehensive fight against resistance,” she said.
She urged Nigerians to take personal responsibility in the fight against AMR by avoiding self-medication, seeking proper medical advice, supporting enforcement efforts to regulate antibiotic sales and educating themselves on the dangers of antibiotic misuse.
With AMR posing a major public health threat, Okwor called on the government, healthcare providers, and the public to work together to ensure responsible antibiotic use and stronger regulations to safeguard the future of healthcare in Nigeria.
