Vice-President Kashim Shettima has unveiled the framework for the federal government's nutrition programme aimed at addressing malnutrition and food insecurity in the country.
The proposed programme, "Nutrition 774 Initiative," is expected to improve nutritional outcomes across all 774 local government areas of Nigeria.
Shettima said, "The priority with which President 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."
Speaking at the roundtable with development partners on Tuesday, 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 further 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."
Earlier, 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.
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.
"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."
