**'No Profession Should Dominate Proposed Public Health Institute'** The Public Health and Infectious Disease Management Practitioners Association of Nigeria (PHIDMPAN) has urged the National Assembly to ensure that the proposed National Institute for Public Health and Infectious Diseases (NIPHID) is built on inclusive, multidisciplinary leadership, warning that the country's health security cannot be entrusted to any single professional group. The association made the submission during a public hearing on the enabling bill, organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Infectious Diseases in Zaria. Professor Khadijat Toyin Musah, Chairperson of PHIDMPAN's Board of Trustees, described the proposed legislation as a landmark step toward strengthening Nigeria's preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks, saying the institute would drive research, specialist healthcare, innovation, workforce development and public health education. Citing health systems in the United States, United Kingdom and South Africa, she said the most effective models combine research institutions with disease control agencies to strengthen both emergency response and scientific innovation. She argued that Nigeria's expanding population, rapid urbanization, recurring disease outbreaks, antimicrobial resistance and climate-linked health challenges all demand greater investment in public health research and workforce development. "Public health is no longer the responsibility of one profession. It is a multidisciplinary enterprise," Musah said, adding that it requires the combined expertise of physicians, nurses, midwives, epidemiologists, laboratory scientists, pharmacists, environmental health professionals, veterinarians and behavioral scientists working toward a shared objective. She urged lawmakers to broaden representation within the institute's governing structures to include the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, public health nursing leadership, senior nursing administrators and other recognized professional bodies involved in infectious disease management. Musah commended the House Committee for opening the legislative process to stakeholder input and expressed confidence that the resulting amendments would strengthen the bill. She said the institute represents a strategic opportunity to build a more resilient public health system for Nigeria, but stressed its ultimate effectiveness would depend on a governance structure that reflects the multidisciplinary nature of modern public health practice, rather than resting on the expertise of any one professional group alone.