By Doris Obinna
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Hon. Geoffrey Nnaji, has raised alarm over the staggering figure of 200,000 annual deaths in Nigeria caused by food-borne illnesses.
Citing statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nnaji noted that over 600 million people fall ill globally each year due to contaminated food, resulting in approximately 420,000 deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, with Nigeria accounting for nearly half.
Disclosing this during the launch of the Food Safety Operational Manual and the training of Food Safety Desk Officers held on Thursday in Abuja, the Minister warned that the Federal Government would henceforth enforce strict penalties against individuals and businesses involved in food adulteration and contamination.
He described such practices as both criminal and unethical, stressing the urgent need for accountability and systemic reform.
Represented by the Director General, Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Prof. Samson Duna, Nnaji emphasised that food safety is not only a public health issue but a matter of national security, development, and economic inclusion.
He stated that the ministry, in collaboration with agencies such as the Nigeria Council of Food Science and Technology (NiCoFST), is enhancing regulatory oversight, particularly at the Local Government Area (LGA) level, where food safety enforcement is weakest.
Highlighting the scientific importance of food safety, the Minister directed all affiliated agencies and research institutions to develop affordable food preservation technologies, promote indigenous innovations that respect Nigeria’s culinary diversity, and deploy digital training tools for informal food vendors in both urban and rural communities.
Nnaji commended NiCoFST Registrar, Veronica Ezeh, and her team for their professionalism and foresight in producing the nation’s first-ever Food Safety Operational Manual.
He described the manual as a key tool in combating unsafe food practices and aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In her remarks, Registrar/CEO, NiCoFST, Veronica Ezeh, condemned widespread acts of food adulteration across the country.
She warned food vendors, restaurants, and food business operators to stop using harmful substances and methods that endanger public health, listing practices such as washing fruits with detergents, removing animal skins with burning tyres, using carbides to ripen fruits, cooking meat with paracetamol tablets, and adding hazardous dyes like Sudan IV to enhance color in food products.
Ezeh revealed that these actions contribute to serious health consequences, including kidney failure, liver cirrhosis, cancer, and malnutrition.
She criticised the failure of many local governments to employ qualified food safety professionals despite clear constitutional mandates and called on all 774 LGA chairmen to recruit licensed experts in the field.
She also appealed to policymakers and development partners to institutionalise food safety frameworks and provide support for national initiatives.
Over 150 participants from regulatory bodies, Abuja Area Councils, and food businesses attended the training, aimed at equipping officers with practical knowledge to enforce the new food safety manual.