House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security Holds Inaugural Meeting with Relevant Stakeholders

LISDEL on Thursday, 29^th February, participated in the inaugural meeting of the new House of Representatives committee on nutrition and food security at the National Assembly complex. According to the Chairman of the committee, Hon. Chike Okafor Ph.D., the committee was set up in response to the food insecurity and starvation crisis hitting the nation. He echoed his argument in a motion he had raised on the floor of the house recently which spurred the Speaker of the house, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, to set up the committee: that more than 110 million Nigerians are at risk of food insecurity.

According to the chairman of the committee, one of the first legislative actions of the committee is to propose the declaration of a state of emergency on malnutrition and food insecurity. Also, the committee will work with partners to urgently plan a summit on nutrition and food insecurity in a bid to contain the twin crisis rocking the nation. He claimed that these actions are in line with the mandate of the committee which are:

• To work with the presidential council on food security, federal ministries of agriculture and health, national home-grown feeding program, and any other MDA relating to nutrition and food security in Nigeria.
• Strengthen legislative framework and advance new legislation for nutrition governance in Nigeria.
• Advocate for inclusion of nutrition in government priority programs and advocate for the creation of a new budget line in relevant MDAs of government.
• Interface with National and International Partners involved in nutrition programs and raise awareness on issues related to nutrition and food security.
• Monitor resource allocation to nutrition in the annual budget estimates and provide oversight on international commitments and policies adopted by the government.

During the partners’ remarks, the World Bank Group emphasized the urgency for the legislative intervention, stating that currently at least 7% of women of childbearing age already suffer from severe malnutrition while 73% of households in Nigeria are either moderately or severely food-insecure. Nigeria has the highest burden among children in Africa and second in the world, being 1 out of every 3 children.  Whereas malnutrition among children is more severe due to the irreversible nature of stunting, which eventually limits human capital accumulation and human capital development. According to Nemat Hajeebhoy, Chief of Nutrition for UNICEF Nigeria, about 18 million people in Nigeria do not know where their next meal is coming from. She warned that this number may soar to 25 million by 2025 if the situation is immediately arrested.

Nemat noted that paid maternity and paternity leave are effective in mitigating malnutrition among children and parents. However, only 6 out of 37 states (including the Federal Capital Territory) are implementing this. Furthermore, she announced that UNICEF is rolling out the Child Nutrition Fund, a matching fund mechanism that is to be implemented in partnership with state governments. With this initiative, UNICEF will be contributing one Naira to every Naira allocated for child nutrition by each state government, with 100 million Naira being the least allocation. In a side chat with LISDEL, she expressed optimism that this initiative will incentivize new and sustainable investment in child nutrition across the country thus addressing the stunting crisis.

The Federal Ministry of Health, represented by the Director of Nutrition, Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, highlighted the ministry’s current efforts towards addressing the nutrition challenges in the country. This includes the planned training of 40,000 health workers on delivering nutrition services among the 120,000 to be trained in the Minister’s sector-wide approach and health sector renewal investment program. According to her, the ministry is also promoting the voluntary fortification of food such as rice while it is transiting from Iron-Folic acid to multiple micronutrient supplements for pregnant women. Other efforts of the Ministry of Health include a massive de-worming program for school children, the promotion of six-month maternity leave, and identifying and encouraging local manufacturers to produce nutrition supplements.

The minister of state for budget and economic planning stated his commitment to supporting the work of the National Food Security Council and the National Nutrition Core Working Group (NCWC), both steered by the office of the vice president of Nigeria. Overall, stakeholders at the event praised the response of the leadership of the House of Representatives and expressed optimism that, with concerted efforts across the board, Nigeria can turn the tide of growing food insecurity and malnutrition.

Contributed by Olympus Ade-banjo| LISDEL