Vice President Kashim Shettima’s Call For Legislative Action: A Psychologist’s Deep Analysis Of Nigeria’s Food Security Crisis And The Urgent Need For Reform

Vice President Kashim Shettima has once again demonstrated bold and strategic leadership by urging lawmakers to enact critical legislation that will enhance food security and nutrition across Nigeria. His Nutrition 774 Initiative is a groundbreaking intervention aimed at shifting Nigeria away from fragmented, donor-driven approaches toward a government-led, government-funded, and government-implemented national strategy that prioritizes the well-being of every Nigerian.

However, while legislative support is essential, Nigeria’s food security crisis is not just about food access—it is a national emergency that threatens the physical, mental, and economic stability of the country. Malnutrition and food contamination do not only weaken the body; they also weaken the mind, damage the economy, fuel crime, and accelerate national instability.

For this initiative to truly succeed, Nigeria must go beyond policy discussions and tackle the systemic failures in food regulation, water safety, storage, distribution, and public health oversight. The country is not merely facing a food crisis—it is experiencing an epidemic of food-related diseases, preventable disabilities, and mental health disorders that are quietly crippling its future.

Vice President Shettima’s call to action for lawmakers must now translate into immediate execution. Nigeria cannot afford to wait any longer.

Nigeria’s Broken Food System: A Silent Public Health Disaster

Unlike developed nations where food safety is strictly monitored and enforced, Nigeria’s food supply chain is chaotic, hazardous, and largely unregulated. As a result, the country is experiencing a hidden but deadly epidemic—where the very food people consume is the cause of chronic illnesses, early aging, and mental and physical disabilities.

Across Nigerian markets, households, schools, restaurants, and food distribution centers, people are unknowingly consuming food that is:

Heavily contaminated with banned pesticides, industrial chemicals, and harmful food additives, leading to neurological disorders, memory loss, weakened immune systems, and hormonal imbalances.

Spoiled and unsafe due to lack of refrigeration, causing widespread food poisoning, digestive illnesses, and bacterial infections.

Nutritionally empty, filled with excessive salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats, increasing the risk of diabetes, obesity, cholesterol-related diseases, and cardiovascular issues.

Exposing unborn children to developmental disorders, leading to birth defects, stunted growth, disabilities, and increased infant mortality.

Directly linked to sexual and reproductive health issues, reducing fertility rates in both men and women, and causing erectile dysfunction, hormonal disorders, and pregnancy complications.

Shettima’s Nutrition 774 Initiative is a critical step in the right direction, but for it to succeed, Nigeria must ensure that food is not only available but also safe, nutritious, and legally protected from contamination and harmful processing methods.

Food Contamination and the Rise of Preventable Diseases

The failure to regulate food production, distribution, and storage has led to a surge in foodborne illnesses and chronic health conditions that are rarely diagnosed but deeply damaging to the population.

Pesticides and chemical-laden crops are a silent killer. Farmers, desperate to protect their crops, overuse banned pesticides and toxic fertilizers, many of which are known to cause cancer, neurological damage, and weakened immune function. These chemicals seep into staple foods such as rice, maize, and vegetables, leading to long-term poisoning, cognitive decline, and organ failure.

Lack of refrigeration for perishable foods is fueling a public health catastrophe. Unlike in developed nations where refrigeration laws are strictly enforced, Nigerian markets and households lack proper cold storage facilities, allowing harmful bacteria to multiply rapidly. Meat, seafood, and dairy left in the open develop dangerous pathogens that cause typhoid, cholera, stomach ulcers, and severe gastrointestinal diseases.

Counterfeit and expired food imports have turned Nigeria into a dumping ground for rejected foreign food products. Due to weak import regulations, expired canned goods, fake rice, and chemically modified processed meats are freely sold in markets. These products contain toxic preservatives, excessive sodium, and artificial flavor enhancers that cause kidney damage, high blood pressure, and hormone imbalances.

Without immediate food safety reforms and legal enforcement, millions of Nigerians will continue to suffer from undetected but life-altering diseases caused by contaminated and chemically altered food.

The Hidden Consequences: Aging, Disabilities, and Chronic Illnesses

The consequences of Nigeria’s broken food system go far beyond hunger and malnutrition. Many of the country’s most common health issues are directly linked to poor nutrition and contaminated food.

Premature Aging – Poor diets accelerate aging, causing wrinkled skin, hair loss, weak bones, and muscle deterioration far earlier than expected. Nigerians are aging faster than they should due to nutrient-deficient food and long-term exposure to toxic substances.

Chronic Fatigue and Sleep Disorders – Many people suffer from constant exhaustion and excessive sleepiness due to low-quality diets that fail to provide essential vitamins and minerals.

Sexual Dysfunction and Infertility – Processed foods high in chemicals, artificial hormones, and excessive sugar contribute to low sperm count, erectile dysfunction, menstrual irregularities, and pregnancy complications.

Disabilities and Birth Defects – Poor nutrition during pregnancy leads to fetal malformations, underdeveloped organs, and disabilities such as blindness, cerebral palsy, and neurological disorders.

Weakened Immune Systems – Malnutrition weakens the body's defense against infections, increasing the risk of frequent illnesses, slow wound healing, and high mortality rates from treatable diseases.

Diabetes and Cholesterol-Related Diseases – Excess sugar and unhealthy fats in processed foods are fueling a silent diabetes epidemic, while excessive salt and chemically processed oils contribute to dangerously high cholesterol levels and heart disease.

Bone and Joint Weakness – Calcium and vitamin deficiencies are leading to osteoporosis, arthritis, and chronic joint pain, leaving young and elderly Nigerians at risk of fractures and mobility issues.

Vice President Shettima’s call for food security reform must address these long-term but preventable health consequences. The nation’s future depends on a food system that nourishes, not poisons, its people.

Food Insecurity and Mental Health: A Nation at Psychological Risk

Hunger, malnutrition, and contaminated food do not only affect the body—they also severely impact mental health and emotional well-being.

Anxiety and stress disorders are widespread among food-insecure households, as chronic hunger leads to extreme stress, panic attacks, and long-term trauma. Malnutrition is directly linked to higher rates of depression, impulsive aggression, and social withdrawal. Poor diets also lead to memory loss, slow brain function, and increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

In children, malnourished brains do not develop properly, resulting in learning disabilities, hyperactivity disorders, and reduced intelligence. A country where millions of children suffer from cognitive impairment due to poor nutrition is a country that is limiting its own future.

Vice President Shettima’s Leadership: A Call for Immediate Action

Vice President Kashim Shettima’s Nutrition 774 Initiative is a pioneering step toward a healthier and more secure Nigeria. However, for this vision to become reality, immediate action is needed.

Food security is not just about access to food—it is about ensuring food is safe, nutritious, and mentally sustaining. A nation that allows its people to consume unsafe food and contaminated water is a nation writing its own collapse.

Nigeria must now enforce strict food safety laws, regulate imports, invest in cold storage, and integrate mental health programs into food security strategies. Vice President Shettima has laid the foundation—it is now up to lawmakers, regulators, and policymakers to follow through with immediate execution.

The time for discussions is over. The future of millions depends on what is done today.

Oshodi Open Door Public Training (OOPDT), also known as Oshodi Open Door, is a public awareness initiative dedicated to promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity in Africa. Through educational articles and resources, OOPDT fosters informed discourse on governance, institutional reform, and psychological well-being. It also provides specialized Timely Response Solutions (TRS) training at minimal or no cost, ensuring swift and effective interventions for critical institutional and societal challenges. For more information, contact: [email protected].

Professor John Egbeazien Oshodi is an American psychologist, educator, and author specializing in forensic and clinical psychology, cross-cultural psychology, police and prison sciences, and community justice. Born in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, he is the son of a 37-year veteran of the Nigeria Police Force, a background that shaped his lifelong commitment to justice, security, and psychological research.

As a pioneer in forensic psychology, he introduced state-of-the-art forensic psychology to Nigeria in 2011 through the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Nasarawa State University, where he served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology. His contributions extend beyond academia into mental health, institutional reform, and behavioral change initiatives through the Oshodi Foundation and the Center for Psychological and Forensic Services.

Professor Oshodi has held faculty positions at Florida Memorial University, Florida International University, Broward College—where he also served as Interim Associate Dean and Assistant Professor—Nova Southeastern University, and Lynn University. He is a contributing faculty member at Walden University and a virtual professor with Weldios University and Iscom University.

Beyond academia, he is a government consultant for forensic-clinical psychological services in the USA, providing expertise in mental health, behavioral assessment, and institutional analysis. A prolific writer, he has published extensively on mental health, forensic psychology, justice, and institutional reform. He is the founder of the Psychoafricalysis theory, integrating African sociocultural perspectives into psychology.

A proud Black Republican, Professor Oshodi is guided by principles of individual empowerment, responsibility, and ethical leadership. His psychological approach emphasizes self-determination, cognitive resilience, and structured institutions in fostering societal well-being. He believes strong communities thrive when individuals are given the tools to build their own success, with policies that encourage self-sufficiency rather than dependency. With a perspective shaped by both African and global experiences, he is committed to promoting clean, ethical, and functional institutions as well as strong, democratic governance in Africa. His work remains focused on psychology, governance, and institutional reform, aligning with values of discipline, opportunity, and personal agency in building just and sustainable societies.