LAGOS — Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike Okafor, has raised concerns over the devastating economic and human impact of malnutrition in Nigeria, revealing that the country loses an estimated $2.5 billion annually as a result of poor nutrition.
Speaking on Thursday at the National Strategic Policy Dialogue on Strengthening Legislative Action for Improved Nutrition Outcomes in Nigeria held in Lagos, Okafor urged the Federal Government and state governments to significantly increase investments in nutrition, describing it as a critical driver of national development rather than a social welfare issue.
He called for an increase in nutrition-specific spending from the current level of less than 0.5 per cent of national and state budgets to at least 1.5 per cent, while also stressing the need for prompt release and effective utilisation of approved funds.
According to the lawmaker, malnutrition has become a major economic challenge that continues to weaken Nigeria’s productivity, increase healthcare costs and diminish the country’s human capital.
Citing World Bank estimates, Okafor said Nigeria’s annual loss of $2.5 billion reflects the enormous economic consequences of undernutrition.
“Nutrition is no longer just a health issue; it is an economic issue. The greatest infrastructure any nation can build is its people, and nutrition is the foundation of that human infrastructure,” he said.
He further expressed concern over Nigeria’s Human Capital Index of 0.36, explaining that a child born in Nigeria today is projected to achieve only 36 per cent of his or her productive potential due to inadequate healthcare and poor educational outcomes.
Okafor noted that poor nutrition accounts for nearly half of that productivity gap.
“When children suffer from stunting, their brain development is affected, educational performance declines and their future earning potential is significantly reduced,” he stated.
Quoting findings from the 2023/2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, the lawmaker disclosed that 32 per cent of Nigerian children under the age of five are stunted, 7.1 per cent are wasted, while 58 per cent of women of reproductive age are anaemic.
He described the figures as more than health statistics, saying they represent millions of children whose full potential may never be realised, with long-term consequences for the nation’s economy.
Okafor also described nutrition as one of the highest-return public investments, noting that every one dollar invested in nutrition yields approximately sixteen dollars in economic returns through improved health, better education, increased workforce productivity and stronger national development.
He urged state Houses of Assembly to safeguard nutrition allocations in their budgets, ensure timely release of funds and strengthen oversight of Ministries, Departments and Agencies responsible for implementing nutrition programmes.
According to him, legislators must move beyond budget approvals to ensuring measurable outcomes through effective oversight and accountability.
Okafor added that the creation of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security and the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security provides an opportunity to coordinate legislative efforts across the country’s 36 states.
Drawing lessons from countries such as Brazil and Ethiopia, he said sustained political commitment and increased investments in nutrition had helped reduce child stunting and improve economic performance.
He expressed confidence that Nigeria could achieve similar progress if nutrition is prioritised as a national development agenda.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Civil Society–Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Mrs. Beatrice Eluaka, acknowledged improvements in political commitment towards nutrition but lamented that implementation remains weak due to inadequate funding and poor accountability.
She called on lawmakers to strengthen oversight, institutionalise sustainable financing mechanisms, including the Child Nutrition Fund, and support policies such as six months of paid maternity leave.
“The success of this dialogue will not be measured by our discussions alone but by the policies enacted, the resources mobilised and the lives improved,” she said.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of CS-SUNN, Mr. Sunday Okoronkwo, presented a comparative assessment of nutrition indicators across ten focal states, revealing that child malnutrition remains widespread despite improvements in governance and political commitment.
According to him, stunting rates vary significantly across the country, ranging from 15.2 per cent in Enugu State to 64.2 per cent in Zamfara State, while wasting ranges from 3.9 per cent in Enugu to 16 per cent in Kebbi State.
Okoronkwo identified delayed budget releases, inadequate financing, shortages of nutrition commodities, insufficient human resources, climate change, insecurity and food insecurity as major barriers to improving nutrition outcomes nationwide.
He stressed that budget allocations alone are insufficient without timely release and effective utilisation of funds.
“Allocating budgets does not improve nutrition outcomes. Releasing and effectively utilising the funds does,” he said.
He called on state governments to increase domestic financing for nutrition programmes, expand nutrition services through primary healthcare, strengthen accountability systems and scale up proven interventions capable of reversing the country’s growing malnutrition burden.
The policy dialogue brought together federal and state lawmakers, government officials, development partners, civil society organisations and nutrition experts to develop strategies aimed at improving nutrition financing, strengthening legislative oversight and enhancing accountability in nutrition programmes across Nigeria.
Nigeria Loses $2.5bn Annually to Malnutrition, Lawmaker Demands Higher Nutrition Funding
