The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved at second reading a bill to establish a National Ear Centre in Bende, Abia State, aimed at tackling Nigeria’s growing hearing‐loss epidemic.
Sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Benjamin Kalu, alongside six other members, the legislation entitled “Bill for an Act to Establish the National Ear Centre, Bende for the Prevention, Management and Cure of Ear Defects and Diseases; to Establish a Governing Board and an Academic Committee; and for Related Matters”, will create a federal referral hospital and academic hub dedicated to ear, nose and throat (ENT) care.
During the debate on its general principles, co‐sponsor Hon. Kama Nkemkanma stressed that hearing loss is “Not just a medical issue, it is a national development issue which requires urgent intervention.” He noted that, according to the World Health Organisation, over 1.5 billion people worldwide live with some degree of hearing loss, and that Nigeria currently has only one National Ear Care Centre in Kaduna, a facility now overwhelmed by demand.
“Across Nigeria today, ENT conditions are among the most widespread but least understood and treated ailments,” he said. “Diagnosis is delayed, treatment is fragmented, and many patients resort to self-medication or informal solutions—often worsening their condition.”
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The new centre in Bende will not duplicate existing services but rather expand capacity, provide specialist training, and raise Nigeria’s standards in otolaryngology. Hon. Nkemkanma described it as a “National response to a silent epidemic that knows no ethnic, religious or regional boundary.”
He added: “By passing this bill, we affirm that ENT care should not be a luxury for the few but a right for all. No child should miss school because of an undiagnosed ear infection, and no adult should lose their job because they cannot afford an audiologist.”
Presiding over the session, Speaker Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, PhD, put the bill to a voice vote, and it was carried unanimously. The legislation will now proceed to committee stage for further consideration.
