By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Nigeria’s faulty food system is fueling a national health crisis, according to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The ministry warned that current production, processing, distribution, and consumption practices are taking a heavy toll on the country’s overall health, nutrition, and worker productivity.
Speaking on behalf of Health Minister Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate at the Agrifood System Working Group meeting in Abuja, Permanent Secretary Daju Kachollom emphasized that food, nutrition, and health security are deeply intertwined and require a unified, multi-sector response.
He said the country must recognise that the way food is produced, processed, distributed and consumed has direct consequences on public health outcomes, adding that addressing Nigeria’s nutrition challenges requires stronger collaboration between the health and agricultural sectors.
“A healthy nation depends on a healthy food system. The burden of malnutrition in Nigeria remains significant, and while many children continue to suffer from stunting, wasting and micronutrient deficiencies.
“We are also witnessing a growing prevalence of diabetes and other diet-related non-communicable diseases,” Persecondnews quotes the minister as saying.
Pate said the challenges facing Nigeria’s food system were not isolated health issues but consequences of how food moves through the entire value chain, from production to consumption.
“These are not merely health challenges; they are consequences of how food is produced, processed, distributed and consumed.”
The minister said the health sector must play a central role in Nigeria’s agricultural transformation because policies that shape food systems ultimately determine the health and productivity of citizens.
“The health sector cannot be a spectator in agricultural transformation. Every policy that shapes our food system ultimately shapes the health and productivity of our population.”
Pate said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would continue to work with the agricultural sector to promote food fortification, strengthen school nutrition programmes and improve nutrition awareness among Nigerians.
“We will continue to deepen collaboration with the agricultural sector to promote food fortification, strengthen school programmes and communicate more on achieving nutrition knowledge,”he added.
He promised that the ministry would intensify efforts to improve food safety by working with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and other stakeholders to ensure food consumed by Nigerians meets required standards.
“We will also intensify efforts to improve food safety by working closely with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and other stakeholders to ensure that food reaching Nigerian households is safe.”
The minister said the government was also developing innovative digital systems that connect agricultural production with nutrition and health outcomes to support evidence-based planning and improve accountability.
He said climate change and economic pressures continue to threaten food and nutrition security, adding that the ministry would sustain emergency nutrition responses alongside relevant stakeholders.
Pate urged private sector players to invest in producing affordable, nutritious and safe foods, while calling on research institutions to continue generating evidence that supports policymaking.
He also called on ministries, departments and agencies to strengthen collaboration and eliminate institutional barriers that could affect the implementation of Nigeria’s agrifood transformation agenda.
The minister reaffirmed the commitment of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to providing technical leadership to ensure nutrition, food safety and health remain central to Nigeria’s agricultural transformation.
Pate urged stakeholders to move beyond dialogue to implementation, with measurable actions that would improve food security, nutrition security and health outcomes for Nigerians.