The National Assembly Library was the epicenter of national discourse on Monday 8th July 2025, as it hosted a high-level Food Security and Nutrition Summit, officially launching the 2025 edition of the House of Representatives’ Open Week. The event drew top-ranking government officials, parliamentarians, development partners, and civil society actors in a bold bid to confront Nigeria’s food security challenges.
The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, who chaired the occasion, declared the summit open with a clarion call to action. Applauding the House for organizing the summit, Shettima emphasized the need for sustained budgetary commitments to nutrition and food systems, describing the event as a rare opportunity to “write a new chapter” in the country’s struggle against hunger and malnutrition.
“All stakeholders must unite and rally behind coordinated efforts to end this tragedy.” the Vice President said.
The Vice President also urged lawmakers to back their advocacy with funding, stating that without adequate budget lines, interventions would continue to fall short of impact.
In his keynote address, the Chief Host and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, expressed appreciation to the Vice President, development agencies, and civil society partners for their roles in making the summit—and indeed the Open Week—a reality.
The Speaker did not mince words in highlighting policy failures and inefficiencies that continue to undermine food access and affordability.
“This summit must mark a decisive turning point. We can no longer tolerate multiple levies on food transporters that artificially inflate prices. Development partners cannot continue to serve as both implementers and monitors of nutrition programs without clear lines of accountability.”
Abbas described malnutrition as both a human tragedy and a development challenge, stressing that millions—especially children and women—bear the brunt of poor nutrition.
“We owe them more than pity. We owe them action. This summit must forge lasting, evidence-based solutions to end their suffering and secure a healthier, more resilient Nigeria.”
Earlier in his remarks, Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike Okafor, set the tone for the deliberations, tracing the summit’s relevance to the 10th Assembly’s legislative priorities.
He praised Speaker Abbas Tajudeen for establishing the committee, noting that the current food crisis demands nothing less than legislative urgency.
“We cannot keep watching our farmers’ hard work rot away in storage due to market bottlenecks, nor can we ignore insecurity that denies farmers access to land,” he said. “The time to act was yesterday. But it is not too late—if we act decisively now.”
He warned against allowing development partners to “implement and audit themselves,” adding that such practices undermine transparency and value for money.
The Chairman also commended the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security for its tireless advocacy, calling it a vital tool for policy coherence across national and sub-national legislatures.
The summit featured a dynamic panel session that brought together voices from across the country’s food and nutrition ecosystem. Panelists included: Hon. Chike Okafor, Chaiman, House of Reps Committee of Nutrition and Food Security; Rt. Hon. Debo Ogundoyin, Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly and Chairman, Conference of Speakers of House of Assemblies; Mrs. Uju Anwukah, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health and N-774 Focal Person and Dr. Nemat Hajeebhoy, Chief of Nutrition, UNICEF Nigeria. Others are: Dr. Michael Ojo, Country Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN); Mr. Sunday Okoronkwo, Executive Secretary, CS-SUNN; Hon. Engr. Bello Lawal, National President, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).
The panelists explored a range of issues from community nutrition programming and local government engagement, to private sector innovation and the role of data in policymaking.
The summit had in attendance various guests and critical stakeholders in the sector, with the Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library, Rt. Hon. Henry Nwawuba, as the host.
