By Cross Udo, Abuja
Yesterday, the Federal Government unveiled the framework for its comprehensive vision of a nationwide nutrition programme to address malnutrition and food insecurity in Nigeria.
The proposed programme, “Nutrition 774 Initiative,” aims to improve nutritional outcomes across the country’s 774 local government areas (LGAs).
Speaking during a roundtable with development partners at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Vice President Kashim Shettima said the initiative aligns with the administration’s broader focus on food security and availability across Nigeria.
“The priority with which His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has pursued food availability has gone hand-in-hand with our commitment to eradicating malnutrition.
“Our aspiration as a nation goes beyond the abundance of food in our barns and warehouses. We cannot claim victory unless there is certainty that each household across Nigeria has access to the preferred and prescribed diets essential for a healthy life,” the Vice President stated.
Recall that the 144th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) had in September endorsed the Nutrition 774 programme as a primary platform for combating malnutrition within Nigerian communities.
The Council encouraged development partners to provide financial and technical assistance to support this initiative.
Speaking at the roundtable with development partners, the Vice President urged the development partners to support the proposed initiative, recognising the crucial role of collaboration in addressing the nation’s nutritional challenges.
“This initiative must be owned by our development partners just as much as it is by the government, for each of us is a stakeholder in the emergence of a healthy, stable Nigeria,” he said.
Shettima explained that the proposed Nutrition 774 Initiative adopts a grassroots-driven approach.
“It empowers local actors to take charge of nutritional improvements in their communities and invests in local capacity through the training of health workers and community leaders.
“Nutrition 774 Initiative is an assurance to all Nigerians—young and old, single and married, from North to South. It assures us that balancing the diets of our nation is not just an aspiration but a mission we must pursue with purpose and passion,” he noted.
The Vice President further noted that while Nigeria grapples with recent floods and global inflationary pressures affecting food security, “our response must be innovative and address these challenges directly.
“Every naira invested in the nourishment of our people yields returns many times over—not just in the health of our people, but in the security and future of our nation,” he added.
Shettima also stressed the importance of monitoring, emphasizing that local government councils that have shown commitment, zeal, and passion in driving the process must be incentivized.
Earlier, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, described the initiative under the National Council on Nutrition as crucial in addressing acute, sub-acute, and chronic malnutrition, especially among vulnerable populations at the grassroots.
Noting that it must be dealt with systemically, the Minister said, “The approach under the leadership of the Vice President is to facilitate, taking into cognizance the national structure that we have – the federal government, state governments, and local governments- and to bring in all the stakeholders to address the issue.
“We must get this done across sectors- Agriculture, Health, Water and Sanitation, and Social Protection- bringing all of them together to address this issue; otherwise, we’ll just be passing the buck without addressing our challenge.
“This will only be successful and sustainable if we forge a common direction as a strong collaborative partnership among the federal government across ministries and subnational entities, with local governments, with development partners, civil society organizations, and the private sector. And I think the leadership of the Vice President in this Council has enabled all these to come together as a central unit for us to proceed.”
For their part, the representatives of development partners present at the meeting pledged their unalloyed support for the nutrition programme, commending the federal government for the initiative while underscoring its commitment to scaling up nutrition across the country.
Specifically, the Director General for Nigeria, African Development Bank, Mr Abdul Kamara, said the bank was pleased to be part of the federal government’s initiative to address malnutrition and hunger, stating that the initiative is very timely, as nutrition features prominently in AfDB’s programming and support across the continent.
He said the bank is committed to supporting initiatives that promote health infrastructure and technical support for related programmes in the medium and long term.
Similarly, the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mr Ndiamé Diop, said the vision for the Nutrition 774 Grassroots Initiative is compelling, just as the diagnosis is correct, with the framework aligning with global evidence in the sector.
The country director pledged the World Bank’s full support for the programme and noted that the bank already has ongoing programmes that are fit for purpose in supporting the initiative.
He emphasized the need for prompt finance mobilisation across stakeholders in the private and public sectors to ensure the programme’s sustainability.
For her part, USAID Mission Director in Nigeria Melissa Jones said the crisis of malnutrition exacerbated by natural disasters, among other challenges, would require bold leadership in the humanitarian assistance space to be addressed.
Noting that USAID aligns with the values and objectives outlined in the Nutrition 774 Grassroots Initiative, she emphasized the need for stakeholders to synergize efforts and work as a group.
She also commended the government’s initiative to prioritize local government administration in the programme’s framework.
Representatives of UNICEF, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), the World Food Programme (WFO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the European Union (EU), the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Islamic Development Bank, and Nutrition Angel, among others, were present at the meeting.
