Bill to establish Nutritionists Registration Council scales second reading

By Taiwo Scholarstica

A bill seeking to establish the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria, has scaled second reading on the floor of the House of Representatives.

The proposed legislation is sponsored by the member representing Okigwe South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Chike Okafor.

Opening the debate, Okafor described the bill as “a necessary legislative response to a ticking time bomb of malnutrition and food insecurity” confronting the country and threatening the wellbeing of Nigerians as well as national development.

He said the proposed council would regulate, supervise and standardise the practice of nutrition in Nigeria while protecting the public from unqualified practitioners.

According to the lawmaker, the title “Nutritionist” is currently not protected by law, allowing unqualified individuals to practise and weakening the credibility of the profession.

“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 dismissed concerns that the proposed legislation could overlap with the proposed Dietitians Council Bill, explaining that nutritionists and dietitians perform distinct but complementary functions within the healthcare sector.

He noted that while dietitians provide clinical nutrition services for the treatment and management of diet-related illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease in hospitals, nutritionists focus mainly on community nutrition, maternal and child health, nutrition education, food systems, policy development, research and programme implementation.

The lawmaker also expressed concern over Nigeria’s worsening nutrition indicators, citing findings from the 2023/2024 National Demographic and Health Survey, which he said revealed increasing cases of child malnutrition, stunting and maternal anaemia.

He observed that despite significant investments by the Federal Government and development partners, including the $232 million Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria programme, the country continues to record poor nutrition outcomes.

According to him, “there is an obvious disconnect between accountability, resource allocation and successful policy implementation,” a situation he attributed to the absence of a regulatory framework for nutrition professionals.

Okafor further explained that the proposed council would maintain a comprehensive register for nutritionists and nutrition assistants, set minimum educational and professional standards, regulate registration and licensing, and investigate cases of professional misconduct through disciplinary procedures.

He added that the council would collaborate with federal and state health authorities, the National Universities Commission and international development partners to strengthen nutrition education, research and sustainable food systems.

The lawmaker further assured his colleagues that the proposed regulatory body would be self-financing through internally generated revenue, like other professional councils in the country, and would not place an additional financial burden on the government.

He argued that the legislation would improve the deployment of qualified nutrition professionals to hospitals, primary healthcare centres, schools, correctional facilities and other public institutions, thereby enhancing nutrition services and promoting evidence-based approaches to tackling food and health challenges.