Vice-President Kashim Shettima has on Tuesday unveiled the structure for the federal government’s comprehensive vision for a nationwide nutrition agenda.
The scheme, named ‘Nutrition 774 Initiative’, attempts to improve nutritional outcomes and food insecurity across the 774 LGAs in the country.
In September, the 144th meeting of the national economic council (NEC), endorsed the Nutrition 774 project as a primary platform for tackling malnutrition in the country.
And speaking at a roundtable with development partners at the State House in Abuja, VP Shettima said the initiative affiliates with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader focus on food security.
“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,” he said.
“Our aspiration as a nation goes beyond the mere 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.”
Shettima also implored development partners to support the programme, emphasizing the crucial role of collaboration in addressing Nigeria’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,” the vice-president said.
“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.
“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.”
Speaking earlier, the cordinating minister of health and social welfare, Ali Pate depicted the scheme under the national council on nutrition as very important in addressing the challenging situation of acute, sub-acute and chronic malnutrition, particularly among vulnerable populations at the grassroots.
“The approach under the leadership of the vice-president is to facilitate, taking into cognisance 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,” the minister said.
“It is necessary for us to 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 the challenge that we have.
“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 organisations 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.”