FG, Zamfara govt partner on child healthcare

Mrs Uju Rochas Anwukah strengthen to combat malnutrition across Nigeria

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Office of the Vice President, Mrs Uju Rochas Anwukah, has led a high-powered government delegation to Zamfara State to strengthen collaboration on the implementation of the Nutrition 774 Initiative, a key component of the Federal Government’s efforts to combat malnutrition across the country.

The delegation comprised representatives from the Office of the Vice President, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), UNICEF, the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, and other development partners.

During the visit, Mrs Anwukah said the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, directed the team to engage state government on strategies to reduce malnutrition and improve child health nationwide.

She explained that the Nutrition 774 Initiative was conceived as a flagship programme under the Renewed Hope Agenda, designed to address the devastating impact of malnutrition on children and vulnerable groups.

According to her, the Nutrition 774 Initiative focuses on five key sectors including Health, Food Systems, Education, Social Protection, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).

Under the Health sector, she highlighted interventions such as Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN), exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and immunization.

Presenting key recommendations to Governor Dauda Lawal, Mrs Anwukah called for the establishment of a State Council on Nutrition, the appointment of a nutrition focal person in the Governor’s Office, and the selection of pilot Local Government Areas — one from each senatorial zone — to implement the Nutrition 774 programme.

Other recommendations included, timely release of funds for nutrition programmes, approval of six months maternity leave, Establishment of Nutrition Excellence Centres in each senatorial zone, upgraded primary healthcare centres as one-stop facilities for health care, food demonstration, and community nutrition training.

In his response, Governor Dauda Lawal commended the delegation for their visit and described the Nutrition 774 Initiative as timely and essential to the health and economic growth of Zamfara State.

Dr Lawal explained that, the initiative aligns perfectly with his administration’s Rescue Agenda, especially declaring state of emergency in the health and education sectors.

Governor Lawal formally announced the establishment of the Zamfara State Council on Nutrition, with a mandate to coordinate all nutrition-related activities and ensure effective implementation of the Nutrition 774 Initiative across the state’s 14 local government areas.

He assured that the state government will continue to allocate and release counterpart funds for nutrition projects, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and collaboration with development partners.

Editing Nachaida Yuguda and Adeniyi Bakare