By Obiabin Onukwugha
Wife of Nigeria’s President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has flagged off an initiative aimed at addressing child malnutrition, especially among infants and vulnerable children across the country.
The initiative, known as the National Advocacy and Awareness Campaign for the National Community Food Bank Programme, was launched at the 1st National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit in Abuja, in Abuja on Tuesday,
Launching the initiative, Senator Tinubu announced that her office will partner with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to drive the programme nationwide.
“This year, the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria will be working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to address child malnutrition across the nation,” she said.
A statement issued by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi, disclosed that the programme will kickoff in April this year, with support from key financial and development institutions. “We are collaborating with the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, and other partners to launch the National Community Food Bank programme in April 2026,” she said.
According to the statement, the initiative is designed to strengthen community nutrition support, improve access to safe and nutritious food for children at risk, and contribute to national efforts to end child malnutrition.
She stressed that traditional and religious leaders will be critical to the success of the programme, particularly in mobilising communities and ensuring that no eligible family is left behind.
“We will be needing a lot of support from you, our revered traditional and religious leaders, to raise awareness and sensitise households to ensure no eligible family is left behind as we roll out the programme nationwide,” she said.
The First Lady also explained that the programme will operate through the nationwide network of Primary Health Centres (PHCs), which will be used to identify and register eligible families with children under six years old.
She said caregivers will receive counselling and food vouchers, which can be redeemed for nutritious locally grown foods at community food banks to be established close to PHCs.
The First Lady highlighted that the initiative will be funded through a Trust Fund, supported by willing private sector partners and well-meaning Nigerians, while the Trust Fund will be overseen by credible Nigerians.
In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, underscored the importance of human resources to national growth, noting that the partnership between the First Lady’s office and the ministry was driven by the need to prioritise infants and children.
“Without the people of Nigeria, no infrastructure, no oil, no gold, no diamond will actually matter,” he stated.
Prof. Pate commended the First Lady for her contributions to the health sector, particularly in the areas of women’s and children’s health.
