A coalition of civil society organisations in Abuja has demanded the withdrawal of the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria Bill, 2025, calling for an independent investigation into alleged foreign interests behind the proposed legislation.
The coalition, led by Comrade Amina Mohammed, said the bill raised concerns about Nigeria’s food sovereignty, indigenous agricultural heritage and the potential influence of external commercial interests on national nutrition policies.
In a statement issued on October 24, the group alleged that interests in Europe and the United States might be backing efforts to advance the bill sponsored by Hon. Chike John Okafor.
It acknowledged that the allegation remained independently unverified but insisted that the funding, consultations and institutional relationships behind the proposed legislation should be made public.
The coalition warned that establishing a powerful regulatory council without adequate safeguards could marginalise indigenous nutritional knowledge and create opportunities for commercial interests to influence Nigeria’s food systems.
It cited ongoing debates over genetically modified crops, including concerns about biosafety, biodiversity, seed ownership and farmers’ independence, while stressing that these issues did not establish foreign interference in the bill.
The group questioned who participated in drafting and promoting the legislation, whether external organisations funded or advised the process, and what safeguards would prevent conflicts of interest.
It also expressed concern that registration requirements and penalties under the proposed framework could affect traditional and community-based nutritional practices if the boundaries of regulated professional activity were not clearly defined.
According to the coalition, generations of Nigerians have preserved knowledge of indigenous crops, food preparation, fermentation and traditional diets, which should not be indiscriminately excluded or criminalised.
“Professional regulation must not become a monopoly over knowledge that belongs to the Nigerian people,” it said.
The coalition stressed that it supported scientific nutrition and reasonable professional regulation but insisted that these objectives must not undermine cultural heritage, farmers’ livelihoods or national independence.
It called on the National Assembly to withdraw the bill pending a comprehensive review, investigate the allegations of foreign involvement and publish the findings.
Other demands include full disclosure of the bill’s funding and institutional contributors, safeguards against conflicts of interest, legal protection for indigenous food knowledge, and wider consultation involving farmers, scientists, public health experts, consumers and civil society.
The coalition comprises the Transparency Initiative for Good Governance, African Centre for Cultural Rights, and Good Governance and Civil Rights Institute.
It urged lawmakers to suspend further consideration of the bill until the concerns were addressed transparently, insisting that Nigerians must retain the right to determine what they grow, produce and eat.
The allegations of foreign backing and commercial influence have not been independently verified, and the coalition’s statement did not provide documentary evidence establishing such links.