The House of Representatives has begun moves to sanitise Nigeria’s nutrition profession as lawmakers backed a bill seeking to regulate the practice, eliminate quackery and strengthen the country’s fight against malnutrition and food insecurity.
The proposed legislation, titled A Bill for an Act to Establish the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria, scaled second reading during Thursday’s plenary after attracting overwhelming support from lawmakers.
Sponsored by the member representing Okigwe South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Hon. Chike Okafor, the bill seeks to establish a statutory body to register, license and regulate nutrition professionals across the country.
Leading the debate, Okafor said the absence of a legal framework had created room for unqualified persons to parade themselves as nutritionists, posing serious risks to public health and undermining government nutrition programmes.
According to him, the proposed law will protect Nigerians by ensuring only qualified professionals are allowed to practise.
“The bill is the necessary legislative response to close that gap, protecting the public from unqualified practitioners. By regulating the nutrition profession, we ensure the public can distinguish between a clinically trained dietitian for disease management and a nutritionist focused on general nutrition value chains and the wellness of Nigerians,” he said.
Okafor explained that while dietitians specialise in treating patients with diet-related illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease, nutritionists focus on community nutrition, maternal and child health, food systems, nutrition education, research, policy development and programme implementation.
He dismissed concerns that the bill could conflict with the proposed Dietitians Council Bill, insisting that both professions perform separate but complementary roles within the healthcare sector.
The lawmaker said the proposed council would regulate professional practice, set minimum educational and ethical standards, maintain a national register of nutritionists and nutrition assistants, issue practising licences and discipline erring practitioners.
He added that the council would work closely with the Federal and State Ministries of Health, the National Universities Commission and development partners to improve nutrition education, research and sustainable food systems.
Okafor expressed concern over Nigeria’s worsening nutrition crisis, citing findings from the 2023/2024 National Demographic and Health Survey, which revealed persistent cases of child malnutrition, stunting and maternal anaemia despite huge investments by government and international development partners.
He noted that programmes such as the 232-million-dollar Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria initiative had yet to achieve the desired impact due to weak professional regulation and poor accountability.
“There is an obvious disconnect between accountability, resource allocation and successful policy implementation,” he said.
He assured lawmakers that the proposed council would fund its operations through internally generated revenue and would not place additional financial burden on the Federal Government.
According to him, the legislation will also improve the deployment of qualified nutrition professionals to hospitals, primary healthcare centres, schools, correctional facilities and other public institutions across the country.
Describing the bill as an investment in Nigeria’s future, Okafor urged lawmakers to support its passage.
“This bill is a necessary instrument to professionalise the nutrition workforce, protect public health and ensure accountability for the massive investments in nutrition. It is about safeguarding our future by ensuring Nigerians have access to the best possible advice on healthy living,” he said.
If passed into law, the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria will regulate the profession, enforce ethical standards, promote continuous professional development and ensure only qualified practitioners provide nutrition services nationwide.
Nigeria remains one of the countries with the highest burden of malnutrition globally, with millions of children affected by stunting, wasting and micronutrient deficiencies, while maternal malnutrition continues to pose serious public health challenges.
