Efforts are in top gear for a three-day National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security holding next week in Abuja.
The Chairman, House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security Hon. Chike Okafor disclosed that Vice President Kashim Shettima will declare open the Summit slated for 8 to 10 July with the theme: ‘Curbing malnutrition and food insecurity through effective synergy’.
At a pre-summit press conference held at the National Assembly, Abuja, Hon. Okafor further said the three-day Summit will also be attended by 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.
Also expected are 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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“We are also inviting the heads of the Security Agencies, including 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 Nigerians 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”, said Hon. Okafor.
Specifically, Okafor disclosed that the Summit was designed as a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder engagement platform, expected to throw up practical solutions to deal with the issues of hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity.
“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”, said the lawmaker.
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.”
After the event, the organisers expect that relevant institutions will strengthen legislative frameworks for nutrition and food security at federal and state levels; improve budgetary appropriations and tracking of nutrition funding; provide clear recommendations for policy reform and inter-agency coordination; enhance synergy between development partners and legislative stakeholders; and a 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.
“We also urge subnational legislatures to prioritise the domestication of nutrition and food security policies. We expect development partners to align their technical and financial support with nationally determined legislative frameworks while private sector actors accelerate investment in nutrition-sensitive innovations and interventions”, said Hon. Okafor.
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, Hon. Rotimi agreed that climate change and environmental degradation impact food security generally. He also identified persistent insecurity across food-producing regions in the country and high inflation cost of living as worrisome trends.
“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”, said the Spokesman of the House.
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