House of Representatives, has called for effective collaboration between the government at national and sub-national level and Development Partners in the push to reduce malnutrition and improve food security across the country.

Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Rep Chike Okafor made the call while presenting his welcome address during the launch of the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security and Investiture of Speaker Tajudeen Abbas as the National Patron of the network. The 2-day event also includes workshops for the newly constituted leadership of the State Houses of Assembly Committees on Nutrition & Food Security.

Okafor warned that so long as the poor are kept awake by hunger, the rich will not enjoy peaceful sleep.
He said: “Malnutrition and food insecurity remain a constant threat to socio-economic development in Nigeria, as much as it has become an existential threat. Worsening inflation has also aggravated this burden on ordinary Nigerians. Between the last time we met in Owerri, May 2-4 2024 ,with Speakers of State Houses of Assembly and today, 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. Furthermore, this legislative perspective will be driven collectively and holistically, anchored on the joint effort of the committee at the National and State Houses of Assembly, driven by a joint work plan with flexibility for incorporation of state-specific exigencies”.


Okafor added: “This is the purpose of the formation of the National Network on Nutrition and Food Security which is being created at this meeting. We are all aware of the impact of multiple taxation on agricultural produce as they traverse from one part of Nigeria to the other. This has resulted in wide discrepancies in cost of food items like Maize, Beans, Millet, Soya Beans, Rice, Yams, etc from Birnin-Kebbi to Badary, Yola to Yenegoa, Azare to Aba, Okenne to Onitsha, Adamawa to Anambra States, etc.

Read more @: https://frontlinenews.com.ng/reps-seek-collaboration-to-tackle-hunger-food-insecurity/