By Comfort Olayinka
In a bold move to tackle Nigeria’s worsening malnutrition and food insecurity crisis, the House of Representatives will host a high-level summit themed “Curbing Malnutrition and Food Insecurity Through Effective Synergies” as part of the Green Chamber’s Open Week in Abuja.
Announcing the summit at a press conference on Thursday, Hon. Chike Okafor, Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, described the gathering as a critical step toward reversing Nigeria’s “alarming rates of malnutrition,” especially among children under five, pregnant and nursing mothers, and vulnerable rural populations.
Despite decades of national nutrition policies and sectoral programmes, Okafor noted that Nigeria still grapples with deep-rooted food and nutrition challenges. He blamed persistent insecurity in food-producing regions, climate change, poor infrastructure, soaring inflation, and underinvestment in nutrition-sensitive programmes as key contributors to the crisis.
“The summit is not intended to be a ceremonial event, but a catalyst for decisive and coordinated action,” Okafor emphasized.
The summit aims to convene stakeholders from the executive and legislative arms across all tiers of government, alongside development partners and private sector players. It will provide a platform to harmonize legislative and policy responses, explore innovative financing—such as public-private partnerships—and develop resilient, inclusive food systems in the face of growing economic and environmental threats.
It also seeks to strengthen parliamentary oversight and align donor support with Nigeria’s legislative nutrition priorities for maximum impact.
According to Okafor, the expected outcomes include a more robust legislative framework and improved budgetary accountability mechanisms to tackle malnutrition at both federal and state levels.
With this summit, lawmakers hope to galvanize collective national action and transform Nigeria’s approach to nutrition from rhetoric to results.
