The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, urged the Federal Government through the relevant agencies to intensify the implementation of food safety measures to address what it called the increasing wave of foodborne diseases across the country.
The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance brought on the floor of the House at plenary by Edo lawmaker, Mr Billy Osawaru.
Titled, “Need to tackle the increasing rate of foodborne diseases, stiffen food safety regulations and increase its public awareness in Nigeria,” Osawaru cited a report by the World Health Organisation which revealed that unsafe food causes about 866m illnesses (i.e., one in nine persons) and 1.5m deaths globally each year, with Africa recording the highest number.
Speaking on the substance of the motion, Osawaru said, the House is aware of the Federal Government’s efforts under Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) and 12 to guarantee healthy lives and sustainable food production patterns, as well as the mandate of NAFDAC under Cap N1 LFN 2004 to regulate food safety, with no exception to the mandate of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria.
“Commendable is Nigeria’s 2025 State Party Annual Report score of Level 3, which is a testament that Nigeria surpassed the WHO benchmark and became one of the leading nations in Sub-Saharan Africa with functional systems for detecting, reporting, and responding to foodborne disease outbreaks,” he said.
