The upper chamber raised the alarm on Tuesday during plenary, highlighting widespread gaps in emergency preparedness that allow preventable deaths from snakebites and similar incidents. The push came after widespread public outrage over Nwangene death, which occurred on January 31, 2026, in Abuja. The 26-year-old, a former contestant on The Voice Nigeria and a talented soprano with the Amemuso Choir, was bitten by a snake (reportedly a cobra) while asleep at home. Despite rushing to multiple facilities seeking treatment, she reportedly couldn't receive timely antivenom, leading to her passing at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi. (The hospital has since denied negligence or shortage claims, stating it administered appropriate care including polyvalent antivenom.)
Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule (APC, Lagos West) sponsored the motion, titled “Urgent Need for the Federal and State Governments to Ensure Adequate Stocking, Availability, and Access to Life-Saving Antidotes and Emergency Medicines in Public and Private Hospitals Across Nigeria.” She emphasized that snakebite envenoming is classified by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease, yet many Nigerian hospitals—public and private—either lack essential antidotes like antivenom or keep insufficient supplies. This forces victims into dangerous delays and referrals during the critical "golden hour," dramatically raising mortality risks.
In its resolutions, the Senate urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with NAFDAC, to develop and enforce national guidelines setting minimum stock levels for essential antidotes in designated hospitals. It also called for making antivenom stocking a mandatory condition for licensing and accreditation of private facilities, alongside better budgetary support and supply chains for public ones. Priority was stressed for high-risk areas, while state governments and the FCT Administration were directed to build coordinated emergency referral systems linking facilities for faster response.
The Senate further recommended nationwide public awareness campaigns on snakebite dangers and timely treatment, plus stronger building regulations to prevent snakes from entering homes through drainage systems.
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