By Fatima Saka
The Institute for Dietetics in Nigeria (IDN) has said that financial interests in the nutrition sector are fuelling a dispute over professional regulation, calling on the National Assembly to reject a proposed bill seeking to establish the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria.
The institute’s National President, Mr Tajudeen Olutope Ahmed, made the assertioned on Monday in Abuja, warning that the proposed legislation could create competing regulatory authorities, weaken professional standards and expose Nigerians to unqualified practitioners.
Ahmed, who spoke at a press briefing ahead of a public hearing at the National Assembly, opposed the proposed legislation, identified as HB 2659, which the institute said was being promoted with the support of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN).
He alleged that the growing financial opportunities associated with nutrition programmes had intensified the struggle over professional responsibilities and access to government interventions.
According to him, the proposed bill could legitimise the practice of individuals who lack the prescribed qualifications and clinical training required for professional nutrition and dietetics practice.
Ahmed argued that the proposed legislation would duplicate provisions already contained in the Dietitians Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2022, identified as HB 515, which he said had been passed by the National Assembly and was awaiting presidential assent.
He warned that establishing two statutory councils with overlapping responsibilities for professional education, accreditation, registration, clinical practice and disciplinary procedures could trigger institutional conflicts, increase regulatory costs and undermine patient safety.
“Nutrition and dietetic practice directly affects human health and, in many cases, human life,” Ahmed said, stressing that errors in nutritional assessment, therapeutic diets and medical nutrition therapy could lead to serious health complications, permanent disability or death.
He explained that professional nutritionist-dietitians undergo university education, supervised clinical training, a one-year internship and professional examinations before being qualified to practise.
The IDN president maintained that membership of a multidisciplinary scientific organisation should not automatically qualify an individual to practise as a professional nutritionist or dietitian.
He noted that the NSN accommodates members from diverse academic backgrounds, including biochemistry, agriculture, food science, physiology, medicine, pharmacy and public health.
While acknowledging the contributions of these disciplines to nutrition research, food security and public health policy, Ahmed said their practitioners did not automatically possess the specialised clinical competencies required to assess patients, prescribe therapeutic diets and manage complex nutrition-related conditions.
He alleged that some individuals without the requisite professional credentials were already occupying nutrition-related positions in government institutions and argued that the proposed bill could legitimise such practices.
Ahmed further expressed concern that establishing separate regulatory councils would create uncertainty over the regulation and accreditation of integrated Nutrition and Dietetics programmes offered by Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of health sciences and technology.
According to him, institutions could face conflicting accreditation requirements, duplicated fees and uncertainty over the professional status of their graduates.
He also warned that competing professional titles, including nutritionist, registered nutritionist, clinical nutritionist, dietitian and nutritionist-dietitian, could confuse patients, employers and healthcare institutions about practitioners’ qualifications and scope of practice.
On the government’s efforts to address malnutrition, Ahmed expressed concern that qualified nutritionist-dietitians were not adequately involved in the implementation of some nutrition programmes, despite the resources committed to tackling the problem.
He argued that excluding appropriately trained professionals could undermine the effectiveness of government interventions aimed at addressing malnutrition and other diet-related health challenges.
Nigeria continues to face nutrition-related challenges, including childhood stunting, maternal anaemia and diet-related non-communicable diseases, which require coordinated interventions involving qualified professionals.
Ahmed urged the House of Representatives to discontinue further consideration of HB 2659 in its present form and called on the National Assembly and the Federal Government to facilitate the necessary processes for the Dietitians Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2022, to receive presidential assent.
He said the institute had written to the Federal Ministry of Health, the sponsor of the proposed bill and other relevant authorities to communicate its objections.
Ahmed also expressed concern about the pace of the bill’s progression through the legislative process, saying the institute became aware of it during the second-reading stage.
He called on lawmakers to establish clear professional entry requirements, protected titles, scopes of practice and clinical responsibilities reserved for appropriately trained and registered practitioners.
The IDN president stressed that the institute supported multidisciplinary collaboration in nutrition research, agriculture, food security, public health education and policy formulation but insisted that such cooperation should not be confused with professional equivalence.
He also acknowledged the importance of balanced reporting and offered to provide journalists with contacts within the NSN to obtain the society’s position on the proposed legislation.
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In its position statement, IDN described the dispute as a matter of public health, patient safety, professional integrity and responsible legislation rather than a contest between professional organisations.
The institute urged the National Assembly and the Federal Government to reject HB 2659 and support a unified regulatory framework that protects Nigerians from quackery and ensures that only appropriately educated, trained and competent professionals undertake regulated nutrition and dietetics practice.
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