By SALISU SANI-IDRIS

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has inaugurated the Strategic Board of the Nutrition 774 Initiative to win the battle against malnutrition in every corner of the country.

While inaugurating the board at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Shettima described it as a decisive step by the President Bola Tinubu administration to curb malnutrition crisis across Nigeria.

He noted that malnutrition is a national emergency that poses both health and security threats to Nigeria and requires immediate, coordinated action across all 774 local government areas.

“This Strategic board is not a ceremonial committee; it is a war room, assembled to win the battle against malnutrition in every corner of this country,” he said.

Shettima urged members of the newly inaugurated board to treat their appointment as a call to urgent national duty.

“This is not a tea-drinking exercise. This is a national call to duty. A race against time. A mission to save lives and safeguard our future.

“We are counting on our state governors to drive implementation at scale, and on our local government chairmen who, being closest to the people, hold the keys to reaching the grassroots.”

Shettima said the initiative is the Tinubu administration’s “bold answer to a quiet emergency” that affects homes, schools, hospitals, and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps across the country.

“A nation that neglects the physiological needs of its people, particularly the most vulnerable, flirts with instability. Because a malnourished population is an unproductive one, and an unproductive population drags down the wheels of progress,” he warned.

He also explained that the Nutrition 774 Initiative is designed to harmonise what has been scattered, to end duplication by embracing coordination to build a single, unified framework that allows us to align, act, and deliver measurable impact.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu, commended the Vice-President for championing the food security and nutrition initiative.

According to Bagudu, the programmes will reduce poverty and enhance social cooperation.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, called for more empowerment of women, observing that it is an issue of poverty.

The Chairman, House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Chike Okafor, described the initiative as a right step in the right direction.

Okafor assured that the nutrition programme has all the backing and support of the National Assembly.

“What this initiative is all about is taking it down to the communities, and I want to summarise by saying that you have all the legislative backing at the National Assembly.

“For us, it is an honour to be a part of this initiative, and we will give all our support and everything that needs to be done to ensure that it is a success,” the lawmaker assured.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Mrs. Uju Anwuka, emphasised the need for urgent and sustained intervention.

She pointed out that malnutrition is a national emergency that undermines the nation’s human capital development.

She said that the Nutrition 774 supports the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Tinubu administration “by investing in human capital, ending hunger and poverty, empowering youth and women, and ensuring equitable development.

“By addressing malnutrition, the initiative will strengthen educational outcomes, productivity, and health equity across Nigeria.”

She identified strong leadership, supportive policies, strategic partnerships, and community-driven engagement as strategic pillars to achieve the objectives of Nutrition 774. (NAN)