Nigeria can Become Africa’s Food Basket—Reps Speaker

 

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has called for concerted efforts towards addressing food insecurity in Nigeria, warning that the inaction and statistics on food insecurity are staggering.

Speaker Abbas stated that Nigeria, with its resources and sustained efforts to end hunger, can become the food basket of Africa.

The Speaker made this known at the National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security organised by the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, with the theme, ‘Curbing Malnutrition and Food Insecurity through Effective Synergies.’

The summit is part of the activities marking the ‘2025 Open Week’, an annual opening of the parliament to the public, which commenced on Tuesday.

While noting that the toll of inaction on nutrition is staggering, Speaker Abbas said the statistics “compel us to move beyond rhetoric to concrete, sustained interventions.”

To that end, he said the committee is collaborating with stakeholders in all 36 states to transition from policy pronouncements to on-the-ground impact. He added that through capacity-building workshops and cross-sectoral consultations, “we are addressing the root causes of malnutrition and strengthening the systems needed for rapid and effective response.”

The Speaker said: “Nigeria has every potential to become Africa’s food basket. Our vast arable lands and resilient farming communities position us to lead on food production and nutrition. We are championing the mainstreaming of nutrition-sensitive programmes into federal and state budgets and advocating policy reforms to institutionalise robust oversight and accountability.

“Currently, before the National Assembly are two transformative legislative initiatives. The first proposes six months’ maternity leave for nursing mothers, in alignment with global best practice to support early childhood nutrition and maternal health. The second aims to eradicate the unsafe sale of edible bulk oil in open markets, a practice that undermines public health and safety. Both measures are rooted in our commitment to protect the most vulnerable and invest in the nation’s future.”

He added: “This summit must mark a decisive turning point. We can no longer tolerate multiple levies on food transporters that drive up prices, nor should development partners serve simultaneously as implementers and monitors of nutrition programmes without clear accountability.

“It is equally unacceptable to secure loans for future generations without legislative oversight of disbursement and impact. Local governments too must align their nutrition budgets within a coherent national framework subject to rigorous review.”

While noting that human capital development is central to the national transformation under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Speaker urged the participant stakeholders to let the summit “renew our collective resolve, synchronise our efforts, and deliver a blueprint for measurable progress.”

Speaker Abbas stated: “We owe it to the children who go to bed hungry, to the mothers who struggle to nourish their families, and to the generations yet unborn whose destiny we shape today.”

Speaker Abbas stated that the House deliberately devoted the segment of Open Week to the critical challenges of nutrition and food security. This, he noted, reflects the lawmakers’ determination to work alongside the Executive arm of the government in confronting “one of the most pressing threats to our collective wellbeing.”

The Speaker said the 10th House “remains steadfast in its mandate to legislate effectively on issues that matter most to Nigerians.” Among these, he stated, malnutrition stands out as a human tragedy and a development challenge.

He said: “Millions of our brothers and sisters especially children and women suffer the consequences of poor nutrition. This summit must therefore galvanise us to forge sustainable, evidence-based solutions that alleviate their suffering and secure a healthier future for all.”

Speaker Abbas used the occasion to situate the work of the House within the broader Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that this vision embraces economic diversification, security, infrastructure renewal, and human capital development.

The Speaker added that the vision is “with an unshakable commitment to lifting millions out of poverty and creating a resilient, self-sufficient nation.” He stressed that central to this ambition is the conviction that “no society can prosper if its people are malnourished or vulnerable to food shocks.”

He noted: “By anchoring nutrition and food security at the heart of national policy, we reinforce the foundation upon which all other reforms, including energy, industry, education, and technology, must rest.”

Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike John Okafor, called for the adoption of a ‘Farm-to-Table Security Framework’.

In his address titled ‘Securing Our Farms, Safeguarding Our Future,’ Okafor said the framework is to immediately establish dedicated agro-security units within the security agencies; in the medium term, integrate satellite monitoring (Air Force) and drone surveillance (Army) for real-time farm protection; and in the long term, align with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to declare farming zones as critical national assets.

Okafor said in parts: “Nigeria’s agricultural sector, the backbone of our economy and primary source of livelihood for millions, is under siege. Farmers face relentless threats: banditry, kidnapping, herder-farmer conflicts, and vandalism of irrigation infrastructure, which have stifled productivity and exacerbated food inflation. The result? Over 40% of farmlands in conflict-prone regions lie fallow, while millions face malnutrition.

“The time for rhetoric is over. Every farmer saved is a step toward food abundance; every hectare secured is a victory against hunger.

“I urge you to treat this mandate with the urgency it demands. Together, we can transform Nigeria from a food-scarce nation to a food-abundant nation and a global food-basket.”