Mirian Gom 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Nutrition experts are urging the Federal Government to make food fortification mandatory, warning that nearly 11,000 Nigerian babies are born each year with preventable birth defects linked to folate deficiency, while millions more suffer impaired brain development and poor health because of inadequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals.
The call was made on Wednesday at a nutrition conference in Lagos, where stakeholders described micronutrient deficiency as a silent public health crisis undermining Nigeria’s human capital, maternal health and economic productivity.
Country Director of Nutrition International Nigeria, Dr Osita Okonkwo, says the problem remains largely invisible despite its devastating impact.
“Micronutrient deficiency does not announce itself. Unlike acute malnutrition, it operates invisibly, eroding cognitive development in children, undermining maternal health and compounding cycles of poverty across generations.”
Okonkwo also notes that Nigeria recorded the second-highest child stunting rate globally in the 2023–2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, warning that stunting becomes largely irreversible after a child’s second birthday.
Experts say one of the most severe consequences of folate deficiency is the occurrence of neural tube defects (NTDs), including spina bifida, anencephaly and encephalocele, which develop within the first 28 days of pregnancy—often before many women realise they are pregnant.
According to conference presentations, Nigeria records 14.2 neural tube defect cases per 10,000 live births. With an estimated 7.5 million births annually, nearly 11,000 babies are born each year with these largely preventable conditions.
“The science is settled. Every year of delay means more preventable birth defects; more children denied their full potential and more pressure on families and the healthcare system.”
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Oluwafunbi Bello 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius