In a determined response to Nigeria’s deepening food insecurity and malnutrition crisis, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, has underscored the urgent threat these issues pose to the nation’s economic stability, public health, and community well-being.
During the inauguration of the National Assembly’s Local Organizing Committee for the upcoming Nutrition and Food Security Summit in Abuja, Abbas called for decisive legislative efforts to address malnutrition and food scarcity. Represented by Deputy Speaker Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Abbas highlighted that Nigeria currently ranks among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa for malnutrition rates, which adversely impact citizens across age groups.
He emphasized that child malnutrition not only impedes physical and cognitive development but also affects the nation’s educational and economic future, compounding societal challenges.
Abbas expressed the House’s strong commitment to supporting the committee’s work, urging collaboration with State Assemblies to establish a cohesive strategy to tackle food insecurity across the country.
“The urgency of this National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security cannot be overstated,” Abbas said. “The organizing committee’s mission will be to promote cross-sector collaboration, bringing together ministries, the private sector, lawmakers, experts, and community leaders to address core issues related to food security.”
Committee Chairman Rep. Chike Okafor also addressed the committee’s inauguration, highlighting the severity of malnutrition across Nigeria, especially in northern states, where severe child malnutrition has surged by 51%. Okafor described the situation as a national crisis exacerbated by recent floods in Adamawa, Maiduguri, and Jigawa, which have disrupted food supplies.
Hon. Chike Okafor, PhD, emphasized the summit’s critical role in shaping policies to mitigate food insecurity. He noted that the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) would be instrumental in engaging key stakeholders across the nutrition and food security sectors, fostering policies aimed at sustainable solutions to this growing crisis.
