Hon. Chike Okafor, House Committee On Nutrition And Food Security Host Stakeholders, Donor Agencies To An Appreciation Dinner
As part of the legislative business, in the House of Representatives, the Committee on Nutrition and Food Security hosted a National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security, From July 8 to July 10, 2025.
The summit, which was supported by the Presidency through of Office of the Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, brought together experts from relevant sectors, representatives from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), the Armed Forces, security agencies, traditional rulers, members of the House of Representatives, ALGON, and members of State Houses of Assembly, as well as development partners.
The 3-Day meeting saw participants interrogating critical issues surrounding insecurity as it impacts food production, hunger, food security, and nutrition, in Nigeria.
Following the success of the summit, Chairman, House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Deacon Chike Okafor, PhD, and members of his Committee, on Thursday, October 16, hosted a rare event called a Post-Summit dinner for stakeholders and those who participated in the summit.
Speaking at the post-summit appreciation dinner, Hon. Okafor acknowledged the massive support his committee has received from the Presidency, the leadership of the House, members of his committee, key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, development partners, ALGON, and other stakeholders. The Lawmaker stated that the commendable progress recorded by his committee is a product of the effective collaborations across the board.
The House Committee on Nutrition has worked closely with development partners right from its inauguration. It is worth noting that some of these partners supported the hosting of earlier retreats and the recently concluded National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security.
The Development partners, including UNICEF, Nutrition International (NI), World Food Programme, CSUNN, Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, Gates Foundation, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Hellen Keller International, FHI-360, backed the Committee in hosting the summit. Hon Okafor also announced a new partnership with AFREXIM Bank at the dinner.
Speaking in response to Hon. Okafor’s welcome remarks, on behalf of development partners, Country Director, Nutrition International (NI), Nigeria, Dr. Osita Okonkwo, described as highly impactful, the collaborations between the Committee and donor agencies working in Nigeria. He described the host of the dinner as a committed and productive lawmaker who has discharged the assignment given to him by the Speaker with commendable effectiveness. Okonkwo charged the lawmaker to ensure that relevant legislations, which will provide the legal framework to reduce hunger and malnutrition are enacted.
Also speaking on behalf of stakeholders, the Country Director for the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Dr Michael Ojo, commended Hon. Okafor for being a pioneer in legislative interventions on nutrition and food insecurity. He noted that, despite the idea of a Committee on Nutrition and Food Security being a novel concept in the National Assembly, Okafor ran with the mandate given to him and is impressively delivering on the task.
The Chief of Army Staff, was represented at the dinner by Brig. Gen. E.U. Effiong while Chief of Naval Staff was represented by Rear Admiral Nwagu who spoke at the event on behalf of the armed forces. He commended the committee for the job done so far while appealing for them to consider a bill against open grazing.
The lawmaker also received commendation from Mrs Uju Anwuka, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health (Office of the Vice President), on his commitment to the Federal Government’s push to drastically reduce hunger and malnutrition as well as improve nutrition outcomes.
The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, and Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Akin Rotimi Jr, who gave the vote-of-thanks, expressed the appreciation of the leadership of the Green Chamber to stakeholders, even as he reiterated the commitment of the House to play a major role in improving nutrition outcomes and reducing hunger. He further commended his colleague, Hon. Okafor, for clearly executing the mandate given to him by the Speaker, saying that the House is pleased with the steady and sustainable impact made by the Chike-Okafor-led Committee.
Hon. Akin Rotimi Jnr, took time to list and thank the MDAs, and Donor Agencies that have supported the Committee. This is as he also thanked the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Department of State Services, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for sending senior personnel to the summit and for their presence of some of the senior officers at the dinner. He also thanked the security agencies for their sacrifices and service.
Despite being an informal event, Thursday’s dinner also served as a platform where stakeholders shared ideas and recent wins around nutrition and food security.