Vice President Kashim Shettima has directed local government chairmen across Nigeria to spearhead the implementation of the Nutrition 774 (N-774) Initiative, describing grassroots participation as essential to improving nutritional outcomes and tackling malnutrition in communities nationwide.
Shettima gave the directive on Friday while receiving members of the National Executive Committee of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President called for stronger institutional structures capable of delivering measurable improvements in nutrition at the local government level.
He urged ALGON to strengthen the Local Government Committees on Food and Nutrition, saying the committees should serve as centres for planning, coordination, implementation and accountability in every local government area.
According to Shettima, reinforcing these committees will strengthen Nigeria’s nutrition governance framework and ensure that national nutrition policies translate into meaningful improvements for communities.
He stressed that every local government council should establish functional structures capable of delivering measurable results, adding that grassroots institutions remain critical to achieving the objectives of the Nutrition 774 Initiative.
The Vice President said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to improving nutrition is a governance directive that requires active participation from all three tiers of government.
He explained that national policies must evolve into institutional actions that produce measurable outcomes reflected in healthier families, stronger communities and improved opportunities for children who would otherwise suffer the effects of preventable malnutrition.
Shettima noted that the quality of life enjoyed by Nigeria’s children would ultimately determine the success of government policies, adding that local government councils are central to delivering services that directly affect citizens.
Describing council chairmen as the closest level of government to the people, the Vice President said they serve as first responders to the challenges confronting communities.
He observed that while state governments have made notable contributions toward improving nutrition, the absence of a coordinated nutrition agenda in many local government areas has created significant implementation gaps within the National Policy on Food and Nutrition.
According to him, national development goals cannot be fully achieved if implementation weakens before reaching the grassroots where the impact is most needed.
Shettima, however, commended ALGON for supporting the rollout of the Nutrition 774 Initiative, including efforts to validate pilot local government areas and collaborate with nutrition experts and development partners.
He also praised the association’s commitment to strengthening institutional collaboration, expanding capacity, improving monitoring systems and reinforcing accountability across all 774 local government areas.
The Vice President encouraged local government leaders to remain focused on addressing the needs of their constituents, reminding them that public office would ultimately be judged by the quality of service delivered rather than the duration of tenure.
He added that addressing insecurity, poverty and youth unemployment at the grassroots would accelerate national development while improving the well-being of Nigerians.
Earlier, ALGON National President, Engr. Bello Lawal, thanked the Vice President for receiving the delegation and commended President Tinubu for placing food security, nutrition, agriculture and human capital development at the centre of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Lawal said the Nutrition 774 Initiative offers local governments an opportunity to strengthen food systems by increasing agricultural productivity, reducing post-harvest losses, improving storage and processing capacity, supporting household farming and promoting local agricultural value chains capable of boosting food availability and household incomes.
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He assured the Vice President that ALGON would provide the leadership required to ensure the initiative translates into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
Lawal also appealed for the inclusion of nutrition services for pregnant women and children in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) benefit package as part of the Nutrition 774 Initiative.
In addition, he sought continued federal support for the inclusion of ALGON and all 774 local government councils in national development programmes, while pledging that the association would intensify public awareness campaigns involving traditional rulers, religious leaders, women and youth groups to make nutrition a shared community responsibility.