Shettima urges states to establish nutrition councils as board adopts new funding model

Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged the 26 states yet to inaugurate their State Councils on Nutrition to do so without delay, as the Nutrition 774 Initiative Strategic Board adopted a domestic financing model to drive sustainable nutrition interventions across the country.

The decision was taken on Wednesday at the second High-Level Strategic Board meeting of the Nutrition 774 Initiative held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and chaired by the Vice President.

The board also directed the Federal Ministry of Finance and other key stakeholders to intensify engagement aimed at activating existing financing instruments, including the Presidential Nutrition Intervention Fund (PNIF) and the ring-fenced Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) levy, as dedicated funding streams for nutrition programmes.

Addressing the meeting, Shettima said state governments and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum must complete the institutional framework required to deliver nutrition outcomes at the grassroots.

He urged the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria to ensure the inauguration of the remaining State Councils on Nutrition and the establishment of Local Government Committees on Food and Nutrition in the remaining 304 local government areas.

At the same time, the Vice President stressed the need to reduce dependence on external support for nutrition programmes.

“The domestic financing architecture must be activated now, in this administration, within this governance cycle, and under the accountability of this Board,” he said.

Warning against delays in implementing nutrition interventions, Shettima noted that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life represent a critical period that cannot be regained once lost.

“While we deliberate, children across this country are within a window of growth that cannot be recovered once lost,” he said.