VP Shettima Pushes Domestic Funding for Nutrition, Orders States to Activate Nutrition Councils

Vice President Kashim Shettima has directed the remaining 26 states yet to establish State Councils on Nutrition to do so without delay, as the Federal Government moves to strengthen domestic financing for nutrition programmes across the country.

Shettima gave the directive on Wednesday while chairing the second High-Level Strategic Board meeting of the Nutrition 774 (N-774) Initiative at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting also resolved to adopt a domestic financing model as the long-term foundation for funding nutrition interventions in Nigeria, amid declining donor support globally.

As part of the resolution, the board mandated the Federal Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders to activate existing financing mechanisms, including the Presidential Nutrition Intervention Fund (PNIF) and the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) levy, to support nutrition-related programmes nationwide.

The Vice President, who also chairs the National Council on Nutrition, said state governments, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) must work together to complete the institutional structures needed to drive nutrition outcomes across the country.

He called for the inauguration of the remaining State Councils on Nutrition and the establishment of Local Government Committees on Food and Nutrition in the 304 local government areas yet to set up such structures.

Nigeria Must Reduce Dependence on Donor Funding

Shettima stressed the urgency of developing a sustainable domestic financing framework for nutrition, warning that Nigeria could no longer depend on external funding to meet its nutrition goals.

“The domestic financing architecture must be activated now, in this administration, within this governance cycle, and under the accountability of this Board,” he said.

He noted that delays in funding and implementation have serious consequences, particularly for children within the first 1,000 days of life, a critical period for physical and cognitive development.

According to him, nutrition is not the responsibility of the health sector alone but requires coordinated action across agriculture, education, finance, water resources, women affairs, humanitarian services and social protection.

The Vice President also urged accelerated work on the proposed National Nutrition Bill, directing the initiative’s secretariat to engage lawmakers, state governments and development partners before forwarding the legislation to the National Assembly.

Tinubu Places Human Capital Development at Centre of Governance

Shettima said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda places human capital development at the heart of Nigeria’s development strategy, with nutrition serving as a critical foundation.

“A malnourished child cannot become the engineer who builds our roads, the teacher who shapes our classrooms, the scientist who expands our frontiers, or the leader who carries our national burden,” he stated.

The Vice President further highlighted a ₦500 billion nutrition financing gap, insisting that government institutions and partners must move beyond policy discussions to concrete implementation.

“The ₦500 billion financing gap before us must move from a figure in a presentation to a funded programme on the ground,” he said.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State,  Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Minister of Women Affairs, and Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning,  among other senior government officials.