07/09/2026
UTOO URGES NIGERIANS TO EMBRACE FOOD AS A POWERFUL PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTHY LIVING
…VC Introduces New Policy Requiring Two Inaugural Lectures Per Faculty Each Academic Session.
Professor Priscilla Mwuese Utoo, Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine, has called on Nigerians to pay greater attention to nutrition, describing food as “the forgotten prescription” in the prevention and management of chronic diseases and the promotion of healthy living.
Professor Utoo made the call while delivering the 26th Inaugural Lecture of Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University (MOAU), titled: “Food, the Forgotten Prescription: Centrality of Diet in Health Promotion, Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases in the Reproductive Age Group.” The lecture was held on Thursday, 3 September 2026, at the College of Health Sciences Auditorium of the University.
Drawing from her extensive academic research and professional experience in public health and nutrition, Professor Utoo highlighted the critical relationship between nutrition, disease prevention, longevity and human development. She emphasised the need for individuals, families and governments to recognise proper nutrition as a fundamental component of preventive healthcare.
According to her, poor dietary practices have far-reaching consequences for human health and can significantly reduce life expectancy. She noted that unhealthy nutrition contributes to several chronic and life-threatening conditions, including obesity, hypertension, heart failure and other diet-related illnesses, which could, in some cases, result in premature and sudden deaths.
The Professor further stressed that the consequences of poor nutrition extend beyond physical health, noting that inadequate or inappropriate nutrition could adversely affect students’ concentration, learning capacity and academic performance. She therefore urged parents and guardians to assume greater responsibility for the nutritional wellbeing of their children by promoting healthy eating habits from an early age.
Professor Utoo cautioned against the three major nutritional challenges of overnutrition, undernutrition and malnutrition, noting that each could have serious implications for individual and public health. She advised Nigerians to moderate their consumption of foods containing excessive amounts of sugar, salt and calories, while encouraging the consumption of balanced and nutritious meals rich in essential nutrients, energy and protein.
She also called for increased government investment in nutritional research and stronger mechanisms for translating research findings into effective policies and programmes capable of addressing Nigeria’s nutrition-related challenges.
Professor Utoo advocated the integration of appropriate nutritional education into the various levels of the Nigerian education system, stressing that early exposure to sound nutritional knowledge would promote healthier lifestyles, improve health outcomes and contribute to human capital development.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Timothy Terseer Alabar, declared open a food exhibition organised as part of activities preceding the Inaugural Lecture and commended the exhibitors for their contributions to the programme.
Professor Alabar said the exhibition underscored the practical relevance of university knowledge and research to everyday life, particularly in addressing issues relating to food, nutrition and public health.
The Vice-Chancellor maintained that 21st-century education must be solution-oriented, stressing that the University System should not be concerned solely with the acquisition and memorisation of knowledge but must also generate research, innovations and practical solutions capable of addressing real-world challenges.
In a significant move to further strengthen the University’s academic culture, Professor Alabar announced a new policy requiring every Faculty to deliver two inaugural lectures in each academic session.
He explained that the policy was designed to deepen scholarship, promote intellectual discourse, enhance the visibility and impact of the University’s research, and strengthen the institution’s tradition of academic excellence.
The Vice-Chancellor described Professor Utoo’s Inaugural Lecture as timely and highly relevant, noting that the responsibility of academics extends beyond teaching and research to include meaningful community service.
He emphasised that professors and other academics must deploy their expertise, research findings and innovations towards solving societal problems and improving the quality of life of citizens.
Professor Alabar noted that universities have a critical responsibility to translate knowledge into practical solutions, adding that academic excellence should ultimately have a positive impact on society.
Also speaking, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Chairman of the Inaugural Lecture Committee, Professor Innocent Otache Ogwuche, described inaugural lectures as a hallmark of professorship and an integral part of university culture.
Professor Ogwuche explained that inaugural lectures provide professors with an important platform to present their scholarly contributions, research findings and intellectual perspectives to the academic community and the wider society.
He emphasised the need for the University to sustain and strengthen the tradition, noting that regular inaugural lectures would promote scholarship, encourage intellectual engagement and create opportunities for academics to contribute knowledge-based solutions to societal challenges.
The 26th Inaugural Lecture provided a platform for the University to reaffirm its commitment to scholarship, research, innovation and community service, while drawing public attention to the indispensable role of proper nutrition in promoting a healthy, productive and sustainable society.
Directorate of Information, Protocol and Public Relations
Office of the Vice-Chancellor
Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University
Makurdi.
