Shettima unveils initiative to combat malnutrition
A comprehensive nationwide nutrition programme aimed at addressing malnutrition and food insecurity was yesterday launched by the Vice President.
The ‘Nutrition 774 Initiative’ , endorsed by the National Economic Council (NEC), seeks to improve nutritional outcomes across all 774 local government areas.
It was during a roundtable with development partners at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Vice President Kashim Shettima said the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader focus on food security and availability across the country.
According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said: “The priority with which 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 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,” the Vice President stated.
The 144th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) last month 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.
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, empowering local actors to take charge of nutritional improvements in their communities as well as investment in local capacity through the training of health workers and community leaders.
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“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 noted that while Nigeria grapples with recent floods and global inflationary pressures affecting food security, “our response must not only be innovative, it must also 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.
The vice president also stressed the importance of monitoring, emphasising that local government councils that have shown commitment, zeal and passion towards driving the process must be incentivised.
The Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, described the initiative under the National Council on Nutrition as very crucial in addressing the challenging situation of acute, sub-acute and chronic malnutrition, especially among vulnerable populations at the grassroots.
