Nigerian dietitians urge NASS to withdraw nutritionists’ council bill, warn of quackery

The Institute for Dietetics in Nigeria (IDN) has urged the National Assembly to withdraw consideration of a proposed bill seeking to establish the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria, warning that it could promote quackery and weaken professional standards.

The institute said the bill, if passed, could create confusion among regulatory bodies and undermine efforts to ensure that only qualified professionals practise in the nutrition and dietetics field.

The institute’s National President, Tajudeen Ahmed, gave the warning while speaking with journalists at the National Assembly on Monday.

Mr Ahmed argued that the priority should be to complete the legislative process for the Dietitians Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, introduced in the House of Representatives in 2022, rather than pursue another bill that could create overlapping regulatory responsibilities.

The House of Representatives passed the Dietitians Council of Nigeria Bill (HB 515) in May 2023 to provide a statutory framework for regulating the dietetics profession. The Senate subsequently passed the bill in October 2025.

The bill awaits presidential assent, while a separate bill to establish the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria has since emerged in the House of Representatives.

Mr Ahmed said the proposed legislation for the Nutritionists Registration Council did not adequately ensure that only qualified and certified professionals were permitted to practise in the nutrition and dietetics field.

“IDN supports the proper statutory regulation of qualified professionals working in nutrition and dietetics. However, HB 2659, reportedly promoted with the support of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), is not the appropriate framework for achieving that objective. In its present form, the Bill threatens to create a parallel regulatory body with powers that substantially overlap with those already provided under the Dietitians Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2022 (HB 515).

“The establishment of two regulatory councils exercising competing authority over nutrition and dietetics education, accreditation, registration, clinical practice and professional discipline would create confusion, institutional conflict and avoidable expenditure. It would also weaken, rather than strengthen, the protection available to patients and the Nigerian public,” he said.

Mr Ahmed said the Dietitians Council of Nigeria bill already provided a comprehensive framework for regulating the nutrition and dietetics profession.

He argued that establishing the proposed Nutritionists Registration Council would duplicate provisions already covered by the earlier bill.

“The Dietitians Council of Nigeria Bill already provides an extensive framework for regulating nutrition and dietetics. Its provisions cover professional education, registration, ethical standards, public-health nutrition, community practice, research, policy collaboration, food systems, public education and clinical dietetic practice.

“Consequently, the proposed Nutritionists Registration Council would reproduce many of the same responsibilities and create uncertainty over which council should regulate integrated Nutrition and Dietetics programmes offered by Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of health sciences and technology,” he said.

Dietitians and nutritionists play important roles in preventing and managing diseases, improving maternal and child health, and addressing malnutrition, which remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria.

Their work extends beyond advising people on what to eat. In hospitals, dietitians assess patients’ nutritional needs and develop appropriate dietary plans to support treatment and recovery. They help manage nutrition-related complications among patients with diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular conditions and other illnesses, as well as those recovering from surgery or living with severe malnutrition.

They also contribute to the care of pregnant women, infants, children and older people who may require specialised nutritional support. In public health, nutrition professionals help develop dietary guidelines, educate communities about healthy eating, and contribute to policies that improve food and nutrition security.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) identifies adequate nutrition as essential to maternal and child health, stronger immune systems and the prevention of non-communicable diseases. It also warns that malnutrition includes both undernutrition and excessive or imbalanced nutrient intake, which can lead to obesity and diet-related diseases.

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In Nigeria, where the health system must address undernutrition alongside rising diet-related illnesses, qualified nutrition professionals are essential to both preventive healthcare and clinical treatment.

Nigeria has established academic and professional pathways for training dietitians and nutritionists. However, the two fields are not necessarily interchangeable, particularly in clinical practice.

Dietitians generally receive specialised training in nutrition and dietetics, including clinical assessment, therapeutic diets, supervised practical training and the management of patients whose medical conditions require nutritional intervention.

Nutritionists may work across a wider range of areas, including public health nutrition, nutrition research, food and nutrition policy, community education and food systems. Their specific competencies depend on their qualifications and training.

There can be overlap between the two professions, especially in public health and community nutrition. However, the distinction matters when determining who is qualified to provide clinical dietary care, how professionals should be registered and which body should regulate their practice.

The Institute for Dietetics in Nigeria said the profession needs a statutory council to establish enforceable standards for training, registration, professional conduct and clinical practice. Its position is that the Dietitians Council of Nigeria bill provides an existing framework for these responsibilities.