First Lady: Child malnutrition remains national emergency

The  First Lady explained that the initiative was conceptualised to make healthy and nutritious food available to children under six across the different wards in the 774 councils in the country.

It will be   implemented in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency  and the Bank of Agriculture

The First Lady said: “The Community Food Bank Programme was conceived by us as a sustainable response to bringing healthy and nutritious food within the reach of vulnerable children under six, strengthening community-based nutrition systems, and restoring hope where it is most needed.

“Our goal is to build a strong and effective food bank system in Nigeria that is supported through a well-structured trust fund, governed transparently, and capable of reaching communities and households across the country.”  

She commended early donors and called for broader participation, noting that even small contributions would make a difference.

  “If a mother, even one Naira, is not too small, it all adds up. A little drop of water and a grain of sand make the mighty ocean,’’ she said.

According to her, the programme ‘’directly addresses food insecurity among vulnerable households, particularly children under six.’’

Senator Tinubu added that the success of the programme would mean  ‘’a Nigeria where no child goes to bed hungry.”  

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare   Muhammad  Pate described nutrition as both a moral and public health issue.

“Health does not begin in hospitals alone. It begins in our homes, in our communities, and it starts with adequate nutrition… “ It’s a moral imperative that we ensure that no Nigerian child goes to bed hungry,” Pate said.

He explained that President Tinubu approved   N17 billion intervention through the Social Action Fund to support the initiative. He added that the programme would leverage Nigeria’s primary healthcare network for nationwide distribution.

The minister said: “His Excellency, the President, has already approved a special intervention of N17 billion through the Social Action Fund. We will procure using the Community Procurement Platform in each of the wards of our country, using simplified procurement mechanisms, to buy locally, contributing to this effort with community-based nutrition initiatives.

‘’That will allow us to decentralise the Social Action Fund across communities, with proper governance, using public resources as a complement to what the private sector and philanthropic financing is doing.

“We have pleaded with the executive governors of our 36 states to match what the Federal Government is doing, because the spending will be local, in wards and local governments.

‘’In every state that wants to do this, N500 million  will drive this effort and match what the Federal Government is putting on the table.”  

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, noted that the initiative represents a shift “from sympathy to structure,” citing alarming statistics that about 12 million Nigerian children under five are stunted.

“The question, therefore, is not only about production, but connection,” he said, stressing the need for efficient food distribution systems.

  NNPC Limited Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, represented by Sofia Mbakwe, described  the initiative as a “powerful testament of purposeful leadership.”

 NGF Chairman and  Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq said that governors ‘’see the pressure many households face in accessing affordable and nutritious food’’ across the nation. 

  Mukhtar, a  former Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister of the Economy, described the programme as “empathetic and courageous.” 

 He said   the First Lady’s leadership had further inspired his resolve to be a part of the ‘’noble initiative.’’

 Mukhtar urged government at all levels, the private sector, civil society groups and international development partners to contribute resources, expertise and influence to the initiative.    The First Lady chairs the board of the bank with    Bank of Agriculture Managing Director   Ayodeji Sotinrin and as secretary.  

Health Minister  Pate, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) ,  Executive Director     Mansur Muhtar and Wahab Alawiye–King are the trustees.

The National Community Food Bank Programme,  a federal government initiative,  targets 500,000 households in its first year.

It focuses on children under six, pregnant women and nursing mothers using community-based nutritious food distribution.

 It will be done through  Primary Health Centres, using  a voucher system for beneficiaries to receive locally sourced nutritious food at designated community food banks.

Records show that  32 per cent of children under five in Nigeria have stunted growth, making the country the second highest in the world.