20
Mar
Mar
VICE PRESIDENT SHETTIMA CHARGES LAWMAKERS TO ENACT LEGISLATION ENHANCING NUTRITION, FOOD SECURITY
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CapitalTimesNews / 2 months
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- 2 min read
Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima has urged lawmakers across the nation to enact relevant legislation that would enhance nutrition and food security. This, he said, is crucial to ensure that every household in Nigeria has access to the necessary diets required for a healthy and productive life. In a statement, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, said the Vice President made this call when he met with the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security, led by Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike Okafor, at the Presidential Villa. The Vice President underscored the role of the legislature in making the Nutrition 774 initiative a success, stating, “For too long, our responses to malnutrition have been fragmented, donor-driven, and inconsistent. Nutrition 774 changes that.” VP Shettima pointed out that the Tinubu administration is integrating the initiative with its broader national policies, including the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, the National Policy on Food and Nutrition, and the National Policy on Food Safety. “We are not working in silos. Nutrition 774 is not a standalone programme; it is part of a larger national strategy under His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to build a Nigeria that can feed itself and nourish its people,” he said. The Vice President noted that the success of this initiative will be measured by the reduction in stunting, the number of children who can concentrate in school because they are well-fed, and the number of mothers who can access the nutrition they need to give birth to healthy babies. Nkwocha added that the Vice President also warned that desperation will always set in whenever people struggle to eat, emphasizing that investing in nutrition is not just a moral obligation but an investment in national security, economic growth, and long-term stability. Stanley Nkwocha also stated that Hon. Chike Okafor, leader of the delegation, said his committee has the core mandate of looking at existing laws on nutrition and food and amending them to bring them up to speed with global realities. Okafor commended VP Shettima for his leadership in the nutrition sector, especially with the N774 Initiative, believing that this scheme will bridge the missing gap in nutrition interventions.
