Minister of State for Health, Sen (Dr.) Olorunimbe Mamora, has said that there’s no going on the ministry’s commitment to eliminating trans fatty acids in Nigeria’s food supply.
The minister, who was decorated as policy champion for the #TransfatFreeNigeria campaign by the coalition campaigning for elimination of Partially Hydrogenated Oils for his commitment to development, public health causes, and social development, said that Nigerians do not deserve to die from what they eat whether ignorantly or due to negligence.
He said: “Our people do not deserve to die either due to ignorance or negligence of the government. They deserve our protection and the Federal Ministry of Health under the leadership of Dr Osagie Ehanire is committed to that.”
The coalition, led by Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), described the minister as a known social crusader which dates back to his stellar role in tobacco control and commended his role in getting the regulations moved from NAFDAC to the Ministry of Health for onward movement to the Ministry of Justice.
While briefing the minister on the activities of the coalition, Dr Jerome Mafeni highlighted the efforts of the group since 2019 and how they consulted widely to ensure the best approach was picked for the campaign.
“We thought that the fastest way to address the dangers posed by the consumption of industrially produced trans-fatty acids, the coalition, decided to engage NAFDAC to review existing regulations they have as allowed by the law.”
Mafeni noted that “it was important to engage everyone and we do that through the use of both traditional and digital media coordinated by our partner, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI)”.
