…Urges National Assembly to discontinue further consideration of HB 2659 in its present form

The Institute for Dietetics in Nigeria (IDN) has called on the National Assembly and the Federal Government to reject a proposed bill seeking to establish the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria, warning that its passage could create overlapping regulatory authorities, undermine professional standards and expose Nigerians to unqualified practitioners in nutrition and dietetic care.

It urged the lawmakers to support what it described as a unified regulatory framework capable of protecting Nigerians from unqualified practice while ensuring that nutrition and dietetic services are delivered by appropriately educated, trained and competent professionals.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, National President, Tajudeen Olutope Ahmed described the proposed legislation, identified as HB 2659, as an inappropriate framework for regulating nutrition and dietetics in the country.
Ahmed argued that the bill being promoted with the support of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), could establish a parallel regulatory body whose responsibilities would substantially overlap with those contained in the Dietitians Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2022, identified as HB 515.

He observed that creating two statutory councils with competing responsibilities for professional education, accreditation, registration, clinical practice and disciplinary procedures could generate institutional conflict, duplicate regulatory costs and create uncertainty for practitioners, educational institutions, employers and patients.

Ahmed urged lawmakers to discontinue further consideration of HB 2659 in its present form and prioritise the legislative process concerning the Dietitians Council of Nigeria Bill.

Raising concerns about the implications of the proposed legislation, the IDN President noted that nutrition and dietetic practice are directly connected to human health and, in certain circumstances, could determine whether patients recovered or suffered further complications.

Ahmed maintained that the central issue was not opposition to the regulation of nutrition professionals but the need for a coherent legal framework that clearly defines professional qualifications, scopes of practice and the clinical responsibilities of appropriately trained practitioners.

He explained that qualified dietitians and nutritionists-dietitians were trained to conduct nutritional assessments, identify nutrition-related problems, provide medical nutrition therapy and manage patients with conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, cancer and severe malnutrition.

Ahmed added that their responsibilities could include prescribing and monitoring therapeutic diets and participating in enteral and parenteral nutrition management.

He warned that inadequate training or the improper assignment of clinical responsibilities could result in deteriorating health, permanent disability or deaths adding that any regulatory framework governing the profession must ensure that individuals undertaking such responsibilities possess the appropriate academic qualifications, supervised clinical training, internship experience and demonstrated professional competence.

Ahmed said legislation should not create circumstances in which professional recognition or clinical authority could be conferred on individuals who had not satisfied the required standards of education and training.

He called for clear safeguards to ensure that the public could distinguish between individuals who contribute to nutrition science and those who possess the professional competencies required to provide clinical nutrition and dietetic services.

IDN draws distinction between nutrition science and clinical practice.

Ahmed also challenged what it described as the potential conflation of multidisciplinary participation in nutrition science with professional qualification to practise nutrition and dietetics.

According to him , the Nutrition Society of Nigeria accommodates professionals from several disciplines, including biochemistry, agriculture, food science, physiology, medicine, pharmacy and public health.

While acknowledging the contributions of these fields to nutrition research, food security, public health and policy development, Ahmed argued that membership of a scientific society should not automatically be treated as evidence of qualification to undertake clinical nutrition or dietetic practice.

He stressed that professionals from other scientific disciplines could make important contributions to nutrition-related research and policy without necessarily possessing the clinical competencies required to assess patients, prescribe therapeutic diets or provide medical nutrition therapy.

He emphasized that multidisciplinary collaboration remained essential to addressing Nigeria’s nutrition challenges but should not replace established professional education, supervised clinical training and competency assessment.

Ahmed therefore urged lawmakers to ensure that any legislation on nutrition regulation clearly distinguishes between participation in nutrition-related scientific activities and the qualifications required to practise as a registered professional.

A major concern raised by the institute is the potential duplication of responsibilities between HB 2659 and the Dietitians Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2022.

Ahmed said the latter bill already provides for an extensive regulatory framework covering professional education, registration, ethical standards, public-health nutrition, community practice, research, policy collaboration, food systems, public education and clinical dietetic practice.

He argued that establishing another council with substantially similar responsibilities could complicate the regulation of academic programmes and professional practice across the country.

Ahmed pointed out that many relevant programmes offered by Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of health sciences and technology operate under the combined designation of Nutrition and Dietetics.

He observed that the proposed arrangement could make it difficult to determine how the nutrition and dietetics components of such integrated programmes would be regulated if separate councils exercised overlapping authority.

Ahmed warned that institutions could face conflicting accreditation requirements, repeated assessments, duplicated fees and uncertainty over the professional status of graduates.

He expressed concern that competing regulatory arrangements could create ambiguity for employers and healthcare institutions seeking to determine which qualifications authorise individuals to perform specific professional functions.

Ahmed nthe resulting confusion could affect the recognition of graduates, the recruitment of practitioners and the assignment of clinical responsibilities in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

The proposed bill, according to IDN, could also complicate the use and interpretation of professional titles within Nigeria’s nutrition and dietetics sector.

Ahmed called for legislation that clearly defines protected professional titles, establishes minimum entry qualifications and specifies the clinical functions reserved for appropriately trained and registered practitioners.

He maintained that a regulatory framework should enable patients to make informed decisions about their care while ensuring that healthcare institutions employ professionals whose qualifications match their assigned responsibilities.

The institute situated its objections within Nigeria’s wider public health challenges, including malnutrition, childhood stunting, maternal anaemia and diet-related non-communicable diseases.

Ahmed called on lawmakers to prioritise public safety and professional accountability when considering legislation affecting nutrition and dietetic practice.
He appealed to the House of Representatives to discontinue further consideration of HB 2659 in its present form and urged the National Assembly to avoid establishing two statutory councils with overlapping or conflicting authority over nutrition and dietetics.

Ahmed called on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to conclude the necessary legislative processes concerning the Dietitians Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2022, and facilitate its transmission for presidential assent.

The institute said these measures would help establish a regulatory system that protects the public, promotes professional accountability and reduces uncertainty over the qualifications required for clinical practice.