As EU launches child protection project in the country
Vice President Kashim Shettima, yesterday, decried the impact of malnutrition on Nigerian children, saying it robbed about 40 per cent of children under five of their physical and cognitive potential.
He said the Federal Government had introduced the Nutrition 774 Initiative, a grassroots-focused framework aimed at addressing the nutrition crisis in underserved communities across the country.
Shettima stated this at the National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, as part of the House’s Open Week activities.
Represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, the Vice President noted that under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, nutrition had been repositioned as a core component of the national development strategy.
Shettima said: “We have witnessed the establishment of the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security and the replication of this committee across all 36 State Houses of Assembly. This is, without question, an unprecedented stride in our legislative engagement. Yet, we must admit that the occasion that brings us here today is not celebration.”
“It is a reminder of the burden that we bear, a malnutrition crisis that continues to rob nearly 40 per cent of Nigerian children under five of their physical and cognitive potential. It is a reminder that food insecurity is not only about hunger. It is also about whether our people can afford, access, and accept the food that meets their nutritional needs.”
He said the Nutrition 774 Initiative, already endorsed by the National Council on Nutrition, reflects the government’s renewed commitment to tackling malnutrition through a localised, accountable, and inclusive approach.
The Vice President, who is also the Chairman of the National Council on Nutrition, stated the role of the initiative in mobilising political will, ensuring sustainable funding, enhancing collaboration across all levels of government, and promoting accountability.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, warned that malnutrition was costing Nigeria approximately 12.2 per cent of its Gross National Income estimated at $56 billion annually.
On his part, Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Chike Okafor, said malnutrition-related health issues such as stunting, low birth weight, and anaemia carry significant economic consequences.
They spoke just as the European Union, launched a new initiative aimed at strengthening child care and protection systems in Nigeria.
The three-year project tagged “Strengthening Child Care and Projection System in Nigeria” will be implemented in Edo, Borno, and Plateau States, and at the national level.
The project is premised on the fact that of 113 million multi-dimensionally poor Nigerians, 17.6 million are orphaned and vulnerable also, six-10 children experience violence before the age of 18, coupled with the weak child protection system and poor parenting in the country.
The Head of Cooperation EU delegation to Nigeria, Massimo De Luca, while speaking at the launch in Abuja disclosed that the project would be implemented in SOS Children’s Village, Nigeria; SOS Children’s Village, Norway; Jurado Foundation, and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC).
