Shettima Charges Local Government Chairmen to Drive Nutrition 774 Initiative
Shettima Charges Local Government Chairmen to Drive Nutrition 774 Initiative
Shettima Charges Local Government Chairmen to Drive Nutrition 774 Initiative
Vice President Kashim Shettima has charged local government chairmen across Nigeria to take ownership of the implementation of the Nutrition 774 Initiative to improve nutrition outcomes at the grassroots.
The Vice President also directed the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) to strengthen Local Government Committees on Food and Nutrition, making them functional centres for planning, coordination, implementation and accountability in all 774 local government areas.
Shettima gave the directive on Friday in Abuja when he received the National Executive Committee of ALGON on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa to discuss the Nutrition 774 Initiative.
He said strengthening local government structures was critical to translating the Federal Government’s nutrition policies into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians, particularly women and children.
“National concern must become institutional action, institutional action must become measurable outcomes, and measurable outcomes must be reflected in healthier families, stronger communities, and children whose opportunities in life are no longer constrained by preventable malnutrition,” the Vice President said.
Shettima described local governments as the closest tier of government to the people and the first responders to challenges confronting communities.
He noted that while state governments had made commendable contributions to improving nutrition outcomes, the absence of a coherent nutrition agenda in many local government areas had created a significant gap in the implementation of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition.
According to him, national ambitions cannot achieve their full impact if they lose momentum before reaching the communities they were designed to serve.
The Vice President urged ALGON to drive the process with determination and ensure that every local government develops functional structures capable of delivering measurable improvements in nutrition.
He also commended the association for its commitment to the initiative, including the ongoing validation of pilot local government areas and its collaboration with the Nutrition Technical Team and development partners.
Shettima further urged local government leaders to remain focused on addressing insecurity, poverty, youth restiveness and other challenges at the grassroots, stressing that the quality of service rendered to citizens would ultimately determine how public office holders are remembered.
Earlier, the National President of ALGON, Engr. Bello Lawal, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for placing food security, nutrition, agriculture and human capital development at the centre of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Lawal said ALGON viewed the Nutrition 774 Initiative as an opportunity to strengthen local food systems through increased agricultural productivity, reduction of post-harvest losses, improved storage and processing facilities, support for household farming and the development of local value chains.
He assured the Vice President that ALGON would provide the leadership required to ensure that the initiative translated into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians across the 774 local government areas.
The ALGON president also sought support for the inclusion of nutrition services for pregnant women and children in the National Health Insurance Scheme benefit package, as well as greater inclusion of local government councils in national programmes.
He assured the Vice President that the association would intensify community awareness campaigns to make nutrition a shared responsibility involving government, traditional institutions, religious leaders, women’s groups and youth organisations.
Shettima Charges Local Government Chairmen to Drive Nutrition 774 Initiative
