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By Tracy Moses
The House of Representatives has restated its firm commitment to spearheading a coordinated national approach to improve nutrition and address the escalating food insecurity crisis confronting Nigeria.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Chike Okafor, gave the assurance during a press briefing at the National Assembly on Thursday. He noted that the legislature was determined to move beyond symbolic gestures and isolated interventions, in the face of worsening nutrition indicators, particularly among children, pregnant women, and vulnerable populations in rural communities.
Okafor identified insecurity in food-producing regions, climate-related disruptions, rising inflation, inadequate logistics, and insufficient investment in nutrition-focused programmes as major drivers of the crisis.
“With this summit, the 10th House of Representatives is making a bold statement that we are ready to lead the charge in tackling one of Nigeria’s most pressing developmental challenges,” he said. “We envision a nation where every child flourishes, every mother receives proper care, and no family goes to bed hungry.”
He highlighted the historic significance of the Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, which was established in 2023 under the leadership of Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the first of its kind in Nigeria’s legislative history. The Committee, he said, was set up to ensure sustained oversight and strategic policy direction on matters of nutrition and food access.
Despite the existence of multiple policies and programmes over the years, Okafor lamented that hunger and undernutrition remain widespread, particularly in underserved and conflict-affected areas. He blamed this persistence on systemic flaws such as weak coordination among stakeholders, inadequate funding, poor accountability, and sluggish policy implementation at the subnational level.
To address these gaps, he said, the House is ramping up its oversight responsibilities while working to develop stronger legislative frameworks and foster synergy across all levels of government.
A key part of this renewed push is the forthcoming National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security, scheduled for July 8 to 10 in Abuja, as part of the House Open Week. Okafor emphasised that the summit is designed to deliver tangible outcomes, not just ceremonial discussions.
“We expect concrete results from this summit,” he stressed, citing specific targets such as strengthening existing nutrition laws, ensuring transparency in budget allocations, enhancing collaboration between agencies, and crafting a roadmap to guide state-level implementation of federal nutrition policies.
Themed “Curbing Malnutrition and Food Insecurity Through Effective Synergies,” the summit will bring together critical actors from the Executive and Legislative branches, federal and state ministries, development partners, civil society organisations, and the private sector.
Confirmed participants include the Office of the Vice President, the Federal Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Finance, Budget and Planning, and Education, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), and development agencies such as UNICEF, FAO, WFP, GAIN, CS-SUNN, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, is expected to serve as Special Guest of Honour, while Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, PhD, GCON, will serve as Chief Host. Governors Hope Uzodimma and Mohammed Umar Bago are also billed to attend as Special Guests.
The summit will feature plenary sessions, expert panel discussions, research presentations, exhibitions of cutting-edge nutrition technologies, and the launch of a Legislative Toolkit on Nutrition and Food Security. It will conclude with the adoption of a National Communiqué to guide future legislative and policy actions.
Okafor stressed that the summit represents a vital opportunity to align donor and development partner efforts with national legislative priorities to maximise impact. He also appealed to media organisations to spotlight the summit’s deliberations and urged state assemblies to fast-track the domestication of federal nutrition and food security policies.
In a compelling final appeal, he called on all stakeholders, from state governments and civil society to the private sector and the international development community, to make long-term investments in resilient food systems, accountability frameworks, and innovative solutions that can improve nutritional outcomes nationwide.
“This is not a moment for lofty speeches,” he declared. “It is a matter of survival, human dignity, and national development. The time for action is now.”