The proposed legislation seeks to strengthen professional standards and help Nigerians make informed dietary and nutritional decisions through access to appropriate expertise.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, represented at the hearing by Abdullahi Ali Ibrahim, said the establishment of the House Standing Committee on Nutrition and Food Security reflected the importance of nutrition to education, healthcare and the overall well-being and productivity of citizens.

Abbas urged stakeholders to contribute constructively to the legislative process, stressing that any new law must address a clearly established need, create workable institutions and provide a practical route to implementation.

He also called for a balanced approach that combines the ambition to improve nutrition services with careful consideration of how the proposed law would operate in practice.

Chairman of the committee, Chike Okafor, said the public hearing was intended to gather evidence, opinions and recommendations from stakeholders and members of the public.

Okafor maintained that the committee had not reached a predetermined position on the bill and would consider submissions both supporting and opposing the proposal before making recommendations to the House for further consideration.

The hearing provides an opportunity for relevant professional bodies, health experts and other stakeholders to raise concerns, propose amendments and assess how the legislation could affect nutrition practice and public access to services.

The bill’s eventual impact will depend on its final provisions, the regulatory structure it establishes and how effectively any resulting law is implemented.

Reporting by TalkNaija Media