By Aliyu Dangida
The National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon. Engr. Bello Lawal has disclosed that 470 out of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria complied with the Board’s directive by inaugurating Local Government Committees on Food and Nutrition, representing 61 per cent of all LGAs nationwide.
Speaking at the 2nd Meeting of the Nutrition 774 Strategic Board, chaired by the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima, the ALGON President
described the achievement as a major milestone in institutionalising nutrition governance at the grassroots and reaffirmed ALGON’s commitment to working with the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the remaining Local Government Councils establish their nutrition committees in line with the Board’s resolutions.
Represented by the Council Chairman of Katsina local government, Hon. Isah Miqdad drew the Board’s attention to the growing concern over the abuse of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), informed the Vice President that reports from some communities indicate that certain nursing mothers deliberately feed their children with nutritionally inadequate foods, including Klin, to worsen their health condition in order to qualify for RUTF distributed through health facilities, after which the therapeutic food is allegedly diverted for sale.
Hon Bello stressed that the practice undermines national efforts to combat child malnutrition and called for intensified nationwide sensitisation and public awareness campaigns to educate parents and caregivers on the proper use of RUTF, while discouraging every form of abuse capable of jeopardising the health and well-being of vulnerable children.
The meeting also reviewed progress reports from the Nutrition Financing Sub-Committee and the Ad-hoc Committee on the National Nutrition Bill, while deliberating on strategies aimed at strengthening nutrition financing, governance, policy implementation, and accountability across all tiers of government.
The Nutrition 774 Strategic Board, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, comprises the Minister of Women Affairs, the Minister of Finance, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, representing the nation’s Governors, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, as well as other senior government officials and development partners.
He reaffirmed ALGON’s unwavering commitment to supporting the implementation of nutrition policies and programmes that will improve the health, nutrition and overall well-being of Nigerians, particularly at the grassroots level, through stronger collaboration between the Federal Government, state governments, and Local Government Councils.
Hotpen reports that, the high-level strategic meeting, held at the Office of the Vice President, Presidential Villa, Abuja, brought together senior government officials and key stakeholders to review progress on the implementation of Nigeria’s nutrition agenda and strengthen coordination, financing, and accountability for improved nutrition outcomes across the country.
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