Odita Sunday 
Onwubiko Urges NAFDAC to Strengthen Oversight of Schoolchildren’s Food
By Odita Sunday
Human rights activist and founder of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, has called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to strengthen its oversight of food served to Nigerian schoolchildren, particularly pupils and students in boarding schools.
Onwubiko made the call while reacting to new school-food standards announced by the United Kingdom Government, which seek to improve the nutritional quality of meals served to pupils and address childhood obesity and tooth decay.
Under the new standards reported by Sky News, schools in England will restrict deep-fried foods, sugary drinks, ice cream, waffles, pizzas, sausages and other foods high in fat and salt, while encouraging the inclusion of vegetables, salads, whole grains and pulses such as lentils and chickpeas in school meals.
Onwubiko argued that Nigeria should similarly begin a serious conversation about the nutritional value, safety and hygiene of meals served to children in schools.
He noted that NAFDAC, established in 1992, has a mandate to protect public health by regulating food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices and other regulated products.
However, he expressed concern that the agency had not appeared to give sufficient attention to the monitoring and regulation of food produced and served to pupils and students in Nigerian schools.
The HURIWA founder recalled the intervention of then Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, in 2017, following concerns over the quality of meals served to boarding students in the state.
According to him, Shettima had visited schools to assess the quality of meals and subsequently announced plans to engage students to provide direct feedback on the food served in their dining halls.
Onwubiko said the then governor also increased the monthly allocation for feeding boarding students from N20 million to N100 million and reconstituted a 17-member feeding committee responsible for food procurement, distribution, monitoring of cooks and the quality of meals served.
He said the development demonstrated that concerns over the quality of meals served to Nigerian schoolchildren were not new and required sustained institutional attention.
Onwubiko also recalled controversies surrounding the Federal Government’s school-feeding programme during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, particularly allegations concerning the management and expenditure of funds allocated to the programme during the COVID-19 lockdown.
He argued that beyond questions of funding and accountability, the actual nutritional quality and safety of food served to Nigerian children should receive greater attention.
The HURIWA founder therefore urged Vice President Kashim Shettima to support reforms aimed at strengthening NAFDAC’s capacity to monitor food served in schools and ensure that the agency’s leadership and senior management have the expertise required to effectively discharge its public-health mandate.
“NAFDAC should pay greater attention to the quality, nutritional value and safety of food consumed by Nigerian children, particularly those living in boarding schools,” he said.
He stressed that the issue went beyond feeding, describing it as a matter of public health, child welfare and the future of Nigeria’s younger generation.
Onwubiko also called for greater involvement of Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs) in monitoring the welfare of children in boarding facilities.
He said parents should be interested not only in the payment of school fees but also in what their children eat, the nutritional composition of their meals, kitchen and dining-hall hygiene, and sanitation within boarding facilities.
He urged NAFDAC, school authorities, state governments, parents and PTAs to work together to ensure that Nigerian children receive safe, nutritious and hygienically prepared meals while in school.
He said Nigeria could draw lessons from countries such as the UK, where school-food standards were being reviewed in response to concerns about children’s health.
Onwubiko said a child could not be expected to learn effectively when poorly nourished, stressing that the country could not build a healthy future while neglecting the nutritional wellbeing of its children.
EMMANUEL NNADOZIE ONWUBIKO is the founder of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and was a National Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria.
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