Sign in Subscribe
Food supply

Nigeria's Vice President Calls for Concerted Action Against Malnutrition

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Nigeria's Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has urged the country to take urgent action against malnutrition, which he stated is affecting nearly 40 per cent of children under the age of five, depriving them of their full physical and mental development. Speaking at the National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security in Abuja, Shettima emphasized the need for a concerted effort to address the issue, which is robbing the country's children of their potential. The Vice President highlighted the government's efforts to combat malnutrition through the Nutrition 774 Initiative, a grassroots-focused program aimed at addressing malnutrition in the country's most neglected communities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Nutrition 774 Initiative is a grassroots-focused program designed to address malnutrition in Nigeria's most neglected communities, with the goal of having a direct impact in the most forgotten corners of the nation.
  • The initiative has been approved by the National Council on Nutrition, which Vice President Shettima chairs, and has been endorsed by the National Economic Council and the National Council on Nutrition.
  • The program's strength lies in its simplicity, empowering each of Nigeria's 774 local government areas to take action based on their unique needs, cultural context, and available resources.
  • The initiative's framework has been institutionalized through the inauguration of the Nutrition 774 Strategic Board, comprising legislators, civil society leaders, and government technocrats.
  • Development partners such as the World Bank (ANRiN program), UNICEF, Medecins Sans Frontieres, GAIN, and Nutrition International have commended the initiative and are supporting community-based initiatives to address malnutrition.

Statistics:

  • Nearly 40 per cent of Nigerian children under the age of five are affected by malnutrition, depriving them of their full physical and mental development.
  • The Nutrition 774 Initiative has been approved by the National Council on Nutrition and endorsed by the National Economic Council and the National Council on Nutrition.
  • The initiative is designed to have a direct impact in the most forgotten corners of Nigeria's 774 local government areas.
  • 40% of Nigerian children under the age of five are being robbed of their physical and cognitive potential due to malnutrition.

Sources:

  • Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President)
  • AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com), distributed by AllAfrica Global Media, "Vice President Calls for Concerted Action Against Malnutrition"
  • Leadership Newspaper (2025), "Nigeria's Vice President Calls for Concerted Action Against Malnutrition"

Read more