MOUAU Don Warns of Rising Microbial Threats, Urges Tougher Food Safety Regulations at 70th Inaugural Lecture

A Professor of Food, Industrial and Environmental Public Health Microbiology at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Ejikeme Nwachukwu, has called for a significant overhaul of Nigeria’s food safety architecture, warning that microbial contamination continues to pose serious public health risks nationwide.

Nwachukwu made the assertion on April 15, 2026, while delivering the university’s 70th inaugural lecture titled “Microbial Food Safety and Health Implication: A Challenge to Food Safety.”

He stated that the current state of food handling, storage, and preparation across households, food outlets, and industrial systems remains inadequate, creating systemic exposure to foodborne pathogens. According to him, food safety failures are not isolated incidents but structural weaknesses requiring coordinated intervention.

The professor emphasized that safeguarding food systems must be treated as a shared responsibility among government regulators, producers, and consumers, but stressed that leadership must come from policy enforcement and institutional accountability.

He advocated for the establishment of a robust national surveillance framework to track and report foodborne diseases, alongside the strengthening of regulatory agencies to ensure compliance across the food value chain.

Nwachukwu also called for aggressive public sensitization campaigns, routine inspection of food vendors and facilities, and improved access to potable water, particularly in rural communities where waterborne infections remain prevalent.

He further pushed for integrated collaboration between health, agriculture, and disease control agencies, noting that fragmented responses have weakened Nigeria’s capacity to manage food safety risks effectively.

The lecture underscores growing concern within the scientific community that without decisive regulatory reform and public awareness, microbial threats linked to food systems could escalate into broader public health challenges.