By Emmanuel Elebeke

Nigeria’s Federal Government has launched a campaign to reduce the consumption of unbranded edible oil to 0% within four years, citing that 67% of Nigerians currently consume unbranded oil, with only 31% of oils being fortified. Despite 20 years of food fortification efforts, it said that Nigeria still struggles with malnutrition.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate represented by the Director of Nutrition, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ladi Aiyegbuisi-Bako disclose this at the official flag off of campaign for oil fortification and key stakeholders meeting in Abuja.

He said that the objectives of the campaign is to achieve 0% consumption of unbranded oil within four years; enhance food safety and nutritional standards by eliminating non-fortified oils and foster healthier dietary practices among workers to boost productivity and well-being.

“Despite over 20 years of fortification efforts, malnutrition remains alarming:Oil: 67% of Nigerians consume unbranded oil; only 31% of oils are fortified.Salt: Though, 90% is reportedly fortified, goitre cases persist. Rice: A pilot in Kebbi showed promise fortifying this staple food.”
The Director affirmed that the Federal Government has committed to prioritizing fortification in future nutrition policies, aiming to reduce unbranded oil consumption to 0%.
The Executive Secretary, CS-SUNN Project, Ridwan Awosanya highlighted CS-SUNN’s decade-long advocacy for improved nutrition in Nigeria.

He said CS-SUNN leads campaigns to drive stakeholder engagement, policy reform, and public awarenes, starting with the two-day meeting for Large-Scale Food Fortification (LSFF), with focus on advocy for a revised national LSFF policy, phasing out unbranded, unfortified edible oils.

“There are a number of assumptions already, you are telling me that a lot is imported and I agree with you.

The truth is that, this campaign is about two things branding as well as fortification. The second assumption will be that the regulatory bodies will ensure that no import oil enter Nigeria without branding and without fortification.

“I will assume that all oils coming in through our boundaries that should be very easy to check regularly if the regulatory bodies are up and doing as well as there functions are concerned.

He urged all stakeholders and regulatory agencies to collaborate in developing a clear roadmap that would ensure that oil that are produced in Nigeria and imported are safe and properly branded and also traceable in line with government policy.

In her Goodwill message, the Project Coordinator of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, GAIN, Adetola Otunla emphasized that food fortification is a core component of the GAIN project and expressed optimism for the meeting’s success and the project’s long-term impact.

The representative of Helen Keller International, said the organisation was honored to be part of the initiative and looks forward to food fortification contributing to improved nutrition outcomes in Nigeria.

In her party the Permanent Secretary, Abia State, Lady Magdalene Onwu said food and nutrition are fundamental to life, adding that key questions must be addressed for Nigeria to get it right.

While expressing hope that the meeting would generate actionable insights, given the expertise of attendees she also stressed the need to verify whether marketed fortified foods are truly fortified across the country.

The Third-Party Advocacy Campaign (TPAC) project seeks to address key challenges in Nigeria’s food fortification landscape, specifically focusing on phasing out unbranded bulk oils and improving workforce nutrition.

Project scope of work is public awareness campaigns, Stakeholders’ engagement and policy advocacy, all in promoting the project outcomes, Phasing out of unfortified oils and improve workforce nutrition.

Organized by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare supported in collaboration with Civil Society – Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.

The meeting which was framed as a critical step in repositioning food fortification in Nigeria had Abia State Permanent Secretary and key nutrition officers from Abia, Lagos and Kano states and CS-SUNN coordinators in attendance.