The House of Representatives at the plenary Tuesday, passed through second reading a bill seeking for an act to establish national ear centre in Bende, Abia State, to tackle hearing loss epidemic.
The proposed legislation titled, “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 Board to Govern the Centre and an Academic Committee to Take Charge of the Centre’s Academic Affairs and for Related Matters, was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu and six others.
Leading the debate on its general principles, one of the co-sponsors, Hon. Kama Nkemkanma lamented that hearing loss is not just a medical issue, but also a national development issue which requires urgent national intervention.
He said that the bill is a deliberate intervention in the lives of millions of Nigerians who suffer, often silently, from ear-related diseases and disabilities.
He explained that hearing loss, chronic ear infections, and other auditory disorders affect people of all ages—from infants struggling to develop speech due to hearing impairment, to the elderly suffering progressive deafness without access to audiologists or ENT surgeons.
He said that the establishment of the centre is a strategic effort to expand access to specialized healthcare, foster medical training, and build a national institution with the capacity to meet modern standards in otolaryngology—what is commonly known as ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) care.
The lawmaker said, “Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, permit me to speak plainly: hearing loss is not just a medical issue—it is a national development issue. According to the World Health Organization, over 1.5 billion people globally live with some degree of hearing loss, and developing countries like Nigeria bear the heaviest share. Across Nigeria today, ENT conditions are among the most widespread but least understood and least treated ailments.
“Unfortunately, the country has only one National Ear Care Centre, located in Kaduna. This singular facility is overstretched and cannot meet the growing national demand. As a result, diagnosis is delayed, treatment is fragmented, and many patients resort to self-medication or informal solutions—often worsening their condition. The Bill responds directly to these issues. It seeks to establish a second National Ear Centre, located in Bende, as a federal referral hospital and academic hub for ENT services. It is not a duplication—it is a necessary expansion. It is not a luxury—it is a response to a growing health burden. And it is not a regional project—it is a national commitment.
“This is not just a project built in the Southeast. This is a project built in Nigeria—a national response to a silent epidemic that knows no ethnic, religious, or regional boundary. By passing this Bill, we affirm that ENT care should not be a luxury for the few but a right for all. That no child should miss school because of an undiagnosed ear infection. That no adult should lose their job because they can’t afford an audiologist. Its passage will affirm our commitment to the health and well-being of our citizens.”
Thereafter, the bill was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, PhD who presided over the session and it was passed.