The Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Chike Okafor, announced on Thursday that Vice President Kashim Shettima will declare open a three-day National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security, hosted by the House of Representatives, with the theme: ‘Curbing malnutrition and food insecurity through effective synergy’, in Abuja.
Speaking at a pre-summit press conference held at the National Assembly, Abuja, Okafor further disclosed that the three-day Summit is scheduled for Tuesday, 8th July to Wednesday, 10th July 2025 at the National Assembly complex, Abuja.
The lawmaker listed some of the other stakeholders expected at the Summit to include: Imo State Governor and Chairman, APC Governors’ Forum, Governor Hope Uzodimma; Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State; members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly; key federal and State Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (notably in health, agriculture, education, planning, and finance); the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON); Development Partners, including UNICEF, FAO, WFP, GAIN, CS-SUNN, and the Bill annd Melinda Gates Foundation; Civil Society Organisations and major players in the Organised Private Sector
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He said: “Well, do you know that the second day of this Summit, we are inviting the heads of the Security Agencies, we are expecting the Police, the Director of SSS, the man in charge of Civil Defence, the Chief of Army Staff, they will be part of our discussions on the second day.
“Because you can’t talk about food security without also talking about the fact that today the farmers cannot go to the farm because of insecurity, so, we have also situated that as a part of our discourse.
“Of course, you know what they say about security, what the security people are doing, whether it’s kinetic or non-kinetic and all that, that can’t be discussed in the public. I can tell you very clearly that we are insisting that they (Security Agencies) come and tell Nigeria what they are doing to ensure that these farmers go into the farm without being harassed or without being killed or molested by anybody. So, it’s in the front burner. Come there on the second day, you will see them talk about what they are doing, so, we can also know and learn.”
Okafor told newsmen that the Summit was designed as a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder engagement platform, which will come up with practical solutions to deal with the issues of hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity.
He added: “Despite decades of national policies and sectoral programmes aimed at improving nutrition and food systems, Nigeria continues to grapple with alarming rates of malnutrition and food insecurity.
“Children under the age of 5, pregnant and nursing mothers, and vulnerable populations in rural areas bear the brunt of this crisis.
“This situation is exacerbated by factors such as: climate change and environmental degradation, persistent insecurity across food-producing regions high inflation and cost of living, inadequate infrastructure for food storage, processing, and distribution; and Low public investment in nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions.”
Speaking on the expected outcomes of the three-day Summit, Hon. Okafor said: “The Summit is not intended to be a ceremonial event, but a catalyst for decisive and coordinated action. We expect the following concrete outcomes: Strengthened legislative frameworks for nutrition and food security at federal and state levels; improved budgetary appropriations and tracking of nutrition funding; Clear recommendations for policy reform and inter-agency coordination; Enhanced synergy between development partners and legislative stakeholders; Roadmap for effective domestication and implementation of nutrition policies by State Houses of Assembly.
“As we prepare to host this landmark Summit, we call on the media, as critical partners, to amplify the discourse and outcomes of the Summit and help mobilise national awareness and accountability; Subnational legislatures, to prioritise the domestication of nutrition and food security policies; Development partners, to align their technical and financial support with nationally determined legislative frameworks; Private sector actors, to invest in nutrition-sensitive innovations and interventions.
Earlier in his introductory remarks, Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Akin Rotimi Jr, commended Hon. Okafor for leading the push for the creation of Standing Committees on Nutrition and Food Security across the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
While noting that Nutrition and Food Security is being approached holistically, the House Spokesman said: “I’ll reiterate something from his speech. He had said that some of the factors that exacerbate food insecurity are climate change and environmental degradation. And there, your point about persistent insecurity across food-producing regions in the country, high inflation cost of living, and other factors.
“So, you’ll be able to see from here the context that it’s a holistic approach to addressing food security, low investment in that sector and so many other things. So, over the course of three days, you’re going to have a multi-sectoral approach, right, to bring in stakeholders together to be able to address these issues.“
