The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, urged the Federal Government through the relevant agencies to intensify the implementation of food safety measures to address what it called the increasing wave of foodborne diseases across the country.
The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance brought on the floor of the House at plenary by Edo lawmaker, Mr Billy Osawaru.
Titled, “Need to tackle the increasing rate of foodborne diseases, stiffen food safety regulations and increase its public awareness in Nigeria,” Osawaru cited a report by the World Health Organisation which revealed that unsafe food causes about 866m illnesses (i.e., one in nine persons) and 1.5m deaths globally each year, with Africa recording the highest number.
Speaking on the substance of the motion, Osawaru said, the House is aware of the Federal Government’s efforts under Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) and 12 to guarantee healthy lives and sustainable food production patterns, as well as the mandate of NAFDAC under Cap N1 LFN 2004 to regulate food safety, with no exception to the mandate of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria.
“Commendable is Nigeria’s 2025 State Party Annual Report score of Level 3, which is a testament that Nigeria surpassed the WHO benchmark and became one of the leading nations in Sub-Saharan Africa with functional systems for detecting, reporting, and responding to foodborne disease outbreaks,” he said.
He noted that the House was “Aware that chemical hazards, poor hygiene among food handlers, open defecation, lack of good potable water, especially in rural areas, weak regulatory enforcement by NAFDAC and SON, and inadequate infrastructure in the market and abattoirs are the major factors leading to loss of tens of thousands of healthy lives owing to their exposure to affected foods and perhaps getting contaminated.”
The lawmaker expressed concern that despite the Federal Government’s commitment to curb the issue of foodborne disease, “Nigeria still accounts for high number of approximately 50m foodborne diseases and more than 53,000 deaths caused by unsafe food yearly, leading to the aggregate number of 4.26m healthy life lost annually to ill health, disability and premature death due to foodborne disease, with over 80 per cent of these predominately children below the age of five.”
He added that due to the lack of professionalism associated with food preparation/production in Nigeria, the country continues to lose an estimated huge amount of $3.6bn yearly to foodborne illnesses through lost productivity, medical expenses, and trade limitations, especially across national borders.
Osawaru further stated that the Nigeria Centre For Disease Control and Prevention report on the recurring incidence of cholera outbreaks across the states of Nigeria has, as always, been attributed to contaminated food and water sources, underscoring the underlying vulnerabilities in the country’s sanitation and infrastructure.
The motion enjoyed overwhelming support from lawmakers when the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, who presided over the plenary session, subjected it to a voice vote.
Following its adoption, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NAFDAC, SON, and NCDC to enhance nationwide surveillance, inspection, and certification across the entire food production value chain.
It also mandated the House Committee on Healthcare, Food Safety and Nutrition to liaise with NAFDAC, NCDC, SON and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that “adequate funds required for procurement of food testing equipment are captured in subsequent supplementary budget; training, retraining and certification of food handlers are prioritised and legislative gaps are identified and proposed for legislative amendment to strengthen food safety regulations in Nigeria further.”
The House also urged the Federal Ministries of Health and Water Resources to urgently intensify investment in clean and potable water as well as provide for adequate sanitation infrastructure to minimise the havoc caused by contaminated water on food.
It further directed the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation to put in place a mechanism for uninterrupted public awareness on food safety, personal hygiene and risks associated with roadside food consumption.
