Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Tuesday rallied traditional and religious leaders to the frontline of the country’s nutrition and public-health drive as she flagged off the Advocacy and Awareness Campaign for the National Community Food Bank Programme in Abuja.

The launch, held during the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health at the State House Conference Centre, framed child nutrition as a shared national responsibility and positioned community institutions as critical partners in reaching vulnerable households.

Addressing monarchs, clerics and health stakeholders, the wife of the President described health as central to national productivity and social progress, noting that the current administration has embedded it as a core pillar of its Renewed Hope Agenda.

She said her office is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the Bank of Industry, the Bank of Agriculture and private partners to commence the food-bank rollout in April 2026.

The initiative is designed to combat child malnutrition by establishing food banks close to Primary Health Centres across the country.

Under the scheme, caregivers will receive nutrition counselling and food vouchers redeemable for locally produced, nutritious items, while eligible families with children under six years will be identified and registered through health centres.

Funding will be channelled through a Trust Fund overseen by credible Nigerians and supported by the private sector and philanthropists.

The First Lady appealed to traditional and religious leaders to amplify awareness at the grassroots, urging them to ensure that no eligible family is excluded from the programme.

She also commended health officials and volunteers for ongoing reforms in healthcare delivery.

In his remarks, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, underscored the strategic role of community leaders in strengthening accountability and public participation in health programmes.

He linked improved health outcomes to national unity and economic stability, outlining progress recorded over the past 30 months in immunisation campaigns, frontline health-worker retraining, primary-health-care revitalisation and specialised cancer treatment centres.

On nutrition, Pate highlighted the persistent challenge of child stunting, noting that nearly two in five Nigerian children are affected, often beginning from pregnancy.

He said the food-bank initiative would address both acute and chronic malnutrition through coordinated community action and transparent funding structures.

The summit also featured the signing of a health and nutrition compact, inauguration of a new cohort of National Health Fellows and the announcement of an international funding partnership aimed at strengthening faith-based health delivery.

Speakers repeatedly emphasised that diseases cut across religious and social lines, reinforcing the need for unified responses.