Dieticians in the country have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make his emergency declaration on food security comprehensive and inclusive by involving dietitians as key stakeholders in driving the proposed war against food insecurity.
The food experts stated that “silent hunger is ravaging the overwhelming majority of people in Nigeria,” and emphasized that this concerning issue should also be a focus for the Federal Government.
The Institute for Dietetics in Nigeria (IDN), the national professional body of dietitians in Nigeria, made this call in a statement on Sunday, expressing their support for President Tinubu’s declaration of emergency on food security in Nigeria. They asserted that dietitians would play a crucial role as catalytic agents in this war.
President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security on July 13, 2023, in response to the adverse effects of the removal of petroleum subsidy on vulnerable Nigerians.
The president’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication, and Strategy, Dele Alake, announced the measures at a media briefing, stating that the government aimed to support the most vulnerable members of the population.
In the statement signed by the National President of IDN, Tajudeen Olutope Ahmed, the dieticians emphasized the importance of including dietitians among the stakeholders involved in the fight against food insecurity.
They suggested that the Federal Government should include “dietitians among the membership of the National Commodity Board” and also engage “the services of dietitians in all the health establishments in Nigeria across the respective units, wards, local governments, states, and federal establishments.”
The body further stressed that collaborating with the national professional body of Dietitians (IDN) would ensure the effectiveness of the emergency declaration on food security.
The dieticians pointed out that “as food experts and professionals in the use of food and nutrition to promote health and manage diseases, we state without equivocality, that the issue of silent hunger that is ravaging the overwhelming majority of people in Nigeria and Africa as a continent should equally be of concern to the Federal Government in the declaration of emergency in food security.
“In other words, it is not only affordability that is a major issue for many Nigerians. The adequacy of the available foods in terms of the appropriate nutrients and micro-nutrients is also a cause for concern.
“Dietitians can easily come to the rescue in combating the war against silent hunger among Nigerians. In this way, the battle against food insecurity will be total and wholesome.
“Most of the available foods are empty and need enrichment, fortification, and upgrading in one form or the other.
“The citizens, who are the ultimate consumers, need to be informed, educated, and counselled about the best ways to prepare and consume the available foods so as to provide optimum benefit to the body.”
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