Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Senate urges health regulators to make antivenom availability compulsory for licensing private hospitals, following the death of singer Ifunanya Nwangene after a snakebite in Abuja.
Lawmakers on Tuesday passed a resolution directing the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, and allied agencies to enforce mandatory stocking of antivenoms and other life-saving reptile antidotes as a precondition for hospital accreditation and renewal.
The motion, sponsored by Senator Idiat Adebule (Lagos West), comes amid public outrage over Ms Nwangene’s death, announced on 31 January by the Amemuso Choir, where she serves as a soprano. Social media reports allege negligence at Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, claims the hospital firmly denies.
Presenting the motion, Adebule warns that snakebite victims frequently face “dangerous hospital-to-hospital referrals” in search of antidotes.
“This gap in emergency preparedness is unacceptable. No Nigerian should lose their life because a basic antidote is unavailable,” she tells lawmakers.
Supporting the motion, Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) says hospitals must anticipate emergencies. “Medical centres should not wait for tragedy before acting. Antidotes must be standard,” he states.
Similarly, Senator Ekong Sampson (Akwa Ibom) describes snakebite fatalities as “largely preventable” and urges proactive healthcare planning.
The Senate further directs the National Orientation Agency to lead nationwide awareness campaigns on early hospital presentation after snakebites and poisoning. Lawmakers also call for stricter building regulations, including mandatory Non-Return Valves to prevent snakes from entering homes through drainage systems.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio describes Ms Nwangene as “a promising Nigerian life cut short” and leads a minute’s silence before the chamber adopts the motion by voice vote.
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Chukwu Obinna 
Otamere Gladness 
Hussaini Ibrahim 