The House of Representatives and 27 States Houses of Assembly, including ministers, have resolved to end malnutrition and food insecurity in the country with adequate collaboration.
This was at the instance of the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security during the inauguration of the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security in Abuja on Monday.
The speaker of the House of Representatives., Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, raised concern about the growing food insecurity in the country.
He said that there was a need to reinforce the urgent need to address the issue of nutrition and food security as the representatives of the people.
He said, “We are taking concrete steps to restore hope to the suffering masses that will guarantee the enhancement of their well-being.
He promised to initiate a strategic legislative process to tackle malnutrition and food security, adding that this is not the best time for the citizenry.
“We need the involvement of the state assembly to attain nutrition and food security, and this move is in the right direction to achieve a greater result.
“We shared the people’s pains, discomfort, suffering, and depression following the worrisome cost of food items and the decline in nutrition.”
The presence of the ministers shows the commitment of the president to address food security in the country while urging Nigerians to give the executive the needed support.
Rep. Chike Okafor, chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, said that it was important to note that malnutrition and food insecurity remained a constant threat to socio-economic development in Nigeria.
He added that this had become an existential threat, adding that “worsening inflation has also aggravated this burden on ordinary Nigerians, and the food insecurity situation in Nigeria has worsened.
“There is, however, cause for optimism; the optimism we share stems from the fact that, for the first time, attempts to tackle malnutrition and food insecurity will have a legislative push.”
“This legislative perspective will be driven collectively and holistically, anchored on the joint effort of the committees at the National and State Houses of Assembly.”
He added that this would be driven by a joint work plan with flexibility for the incorporation of state-specific agencies.
Mr. Debo Ogundoyin, the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly and Chairman of the of the Conference of Speakers, State Legislators, said the wellbeing of the citizenry in the area of food security and nutrition had taken center stage.
He said that it was imperative to carry the state along because it would provide the requisite understanding to tackle the issue.
He expressed the commitment of the state’s assemblies to work toward a common goal: eradicating malnutrition and food insecurity.
According to him, Nigeria is one of the deprived countries in Africa when it comes to nourishment for our children.
Prof. Ali Pate, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, said that there was a need to come together to deal with the issue of malnutrition, adding that they remained the pillars of President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
He said that the country had struggled with acute malnutrition, adding that there was a need to deal with it and the issue of over- and undernutrition.
“We have diabetes and hypertension because of the processed food we eat. It is not just the calories, but the diversity of the diet, which is very important.
He said that issues of malnutrition affect the performance of a child in school and their productivity, adding that the child’s survival depends on nutrition.
Mr. Abubakar Baguda, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, said that nutrition and food security challenges are constitutional and that the three tiers of government must invest more in them.
He added that this involved giving each of the three tiers pride of place in what they could do to address the menace.
“Nutrition is a localized issue; there are differences from one community to the next. We need to localize challenges. The resource constraints are one of the challenges of nutrition and food security.”
He, however, said that Nigeria could find resources to fund its priorities, adding that “Nigeria has been under investing, and we are determined to change policies.”
The Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, said, “We need to identify strategies to prevent and alleviate the suffering of our people. Malnutrition is a major issue in Nigeria, affecting most children.”
He listed banditry, kidnapping, and policy frame work, among others, as some of the factors responsible for the manual triton and food crisis in the country.
“We are collaborating with ministries and other agencies to ensure food and nutrition security. We want to create awareness and collaboration among the three arms of government.
This, according to him, includes development partners to effectively address the manpower and food crises in Nigeria. No family should be denied their basic right to food and nutrition.
