Aisha Ahmed
Gov. Umar Namadi of Jigawa has inaugurated the State Nutrition Council, to fulfil the requirements of the Presidential Nutrition 774 Initiative.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Namadi, who chairs the council, pledged to champion the presidential initiative.
The governor inaugurated the council on Friday, when he received the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Mrs Uju Rochas-Anwukah, who paid him a courtesy visit in Dutse.
“I will lead the Presidential Nutrition 774 Initiative with Jigawa’s commitment and huge investment to the fight against malnutrition in the state.
“The state invests N13.5million on nutrition monthly, while the Jigawa State House of Assembly contributes N300million annually for the purchase of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods.
“About 300,000 children have been rescued from malnutrition with the huge investment and intervention of our administration in fighting malnutrition,” Namadi said.
He revealed that about 1.2 million people were working towards tackling malnutrition in Jigawa through initiatives such as the Masaki Nutrition Programme.
Namadi said his administration had invested into local production of food supplement for children, where 600 women were trained on production and packaging of the supplement.
He explained that Jigawa “is awaiting the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), to complete registration for the supplement to hit the Nigerian markets.”
While the governor had reservations on the data presented on the state’s malnutrition status, he, however, assured that correct figures would be provided to the Nutrition 774 for effective correction.
Earlier in a presentation, Mrs Rochas-Anwukah, explained that Jigawa needs to scale up efforts on combating nutrition.
She highlighted that the project’s strategy demands that Nigerian State Governors should set up State Nutrition Committees, with the Governors as Chairmen of the committees.
The initiative, she said, was officially launched by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, in an effort to curtail the menace of malnutrition in Nigeria.
The presidential assistant, however, appealed to Jigawa to implement the initiative, by timely release of fund, as well as approving maternity and paternity leave.
She also advocated for the establishment of nutrition departments in Ministries and Departments and establish centres of excellence as one-stop-shop.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nutrition 774 (N774) Initiative is a programme designed to stimulate local action and improve food security, health and nutrition in Nigeria.
It is a comprehensive multi-sectoral effort designed to address Nigeria’s nutrition and food security challenges by fostering community engagement, multi-level governance and multi-sectoral collaboration.
The programme was officially launched by the Vice President of Nigeria, Sen. Kashim Shettima, at the 148th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Muhammad Lawal
