Business groups have opposed key provisions of a proposed regulatory bill, warning that it could impose overlapping requirements, increase compliance costs and create conflicts among government agencies. The Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association (NECA), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and tobacco industry operators submitted their concerns to the Senate Committee on Health regarding the Food, Medical Products and Related Products (Registration, Etc.) Bill, 2026, which passed second reading on July 21, 2026.
NECA urged lawmakers to exclude tobacco products from the legislation, which is sponsored by Senator Umar Sadiq Suleiman and seeks to repeal the Food, Drugs and Related Products Act, 2004. The association argued that extending the Bill to tobacco would conflict with the National Tobacco Control Act, 2015, the National Tobacco Control Regulations, 2019, and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Act, 2015. NECA warned that the proposed framework could create overlapping responsibilities among the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, SON and the Nigeria Customs Service.
According to NECA, the consequences of such overlap could include multiple product registration requirements, duplicative approvals, conflicting enforcement decisions, additional compliance costs and uncertainty for legitimate businesses. The association also questioned provisions granting NAFDAC additional powers over product registration, suspension, seizure, factory operations and enforcement, warning that a proposed ceiling-list mechanism could give the agency excessive discretion to restrict products without adequate safeguards. NECA called for the National Assembly to exclude tobacco from the Bill and to strengthen coordination among existing regulators while introducing safeguards against unilateral regulatory decisions.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare also raised concerns at a public hearing on the Bill. Represented by Dr Adebisi Adegoke, Director of Hospital Services, the ministry warned that the proposed amendments could create regulatory conflicts and overlapping mandates, and recommended deferring consideration to allow further consultations. SON similarly argued that some provisions conflicted with its enabling Act and could undermine its statutory functions, citing regulatory overlaps and inadequate stakeholder consultation. Tobacco industry operators noted that manufacturing, importation, distribution, packaging, health warnings and product standards were already subject to extensive statutory controls, and warned that parallel approval and enforcement systems could expose compliant businesses to conflicting directives and operational disruptions.
Operators stressed that their position was not opposition to public-health regulation but concern about additional requirements without clearly demonstrated benefits, adding that unpredictable compliance obligations could weaken investor confidence, discourage expansion and undermine Nigeria's ease-of-doing-business objectives. NECA maintained that effective regulation required clear institutional responsibilities, predictable compliance requirements, proportionate enforcement and coordination among government agencies, and expressed readiness to engage lawmakers and other stakeholders to achieve a balanced framework that protects public health while sustaining regulatory certainty and business confidence.