Vice President Kashim Shettima is expected to declare open a three-day National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security, organized by the House of Representatives which is scheduled to take place next week in Abuja.
Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Mr. Chike Okafor, made this known during a pre-summit briefing with the House of Representatives Press Corps at the National Assembly Complex.
Mr. Chike Okafor stated that the summit, themed “Curbing Malnutrition and Food Insecurity Through Effective Synergy,” is expected to feature presentations from the heads of security agencies, including the Police, the DSS, the Civil Defence, and the Chief of Army Staff.
He said there is no way the committee can discuss food security when farmers cannot access their farms due to insecurity, therefore appealed for patience, as the security chiefs are expected to brief Nigerians on the efforts being made to ensure farmers can engage in food production without the threat of kidnapping or violence.
The committee Chairman also confirmed that the summit is expected to be attended by some state Governors, Members of the National and State Houses of Assemblies, representatives of Key Federal and State Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of Government especially Health, Agriculture, Education, Planning and Finance.
Other stakeholders expected at the National summit includes the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria ALGON, Development Partners, like the UNICEF, the Bill. And Melinda Gates Foundation; Civil Society Organisations and key actors in the Organized Private Sector.
He maintained that the summit was designed to serve as a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder engagement platform, considering the decades of national policies and programmes aimed at improving nutrition and food systems but Nigeria continues to grapple with alarming rates of malnutrition and food insecurity.
Mr Okafor, described as unfortunate that Children under the age of 5, pregnant and nursing mothers, and vulnerable populations in rural areas bear the brunt of the crisis which he said deserved a collective approach to address the matter.
According to him the committee will do all it takes to educate Nigerians on the effort government was making to improve their living standard and the role they are expected to play in actualising the mandate in the interest of National development.
COV/TSIBIRI
