By Kingsley Benson
Nigeria is taking concrete steps to ensure that national nutrition commitments translate into tangible results. The National Council on Nutrition (NCN), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, has set up a Nutrition Financing Subcommittee to design a funding structure for the country’s nutrition interventions.
This was disclosed in a statement by Mr. Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications (Office of The Vice President). He stated that the initiative comes as the Vice President called for ring-fenced financing to close the gap between promises and outcomes, stressing that the National Nutrition Bill must be prioritised for urgent passage. The subcommittee, formed during a virtual NCN meeting last Thursday, has 30 days to develop a financing roadmap, which will then be presented to both the NCN and the National Economic Council (NEC) for review and adoption.
According to him, the committee is chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and includes the Ministers of Education, Water Resources, Women Affairs, and Science and Technology, as well as senior presidential aides. The Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning will serve as the Secretariat. Development partners and private investors, including the Aliko Dangote Foundation, have also been invited to participate.
Vice President Shettima emphasised the need for a strong legal and institutional framework to ensure coordination, financing, and accountability across sectors. He noted that approved budget allocations must be matched with timely releases and effective utilisation, and that ministries and agencies must ensure that nutrition funds are implemented as planned.
Highlighting the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) 2.0 Project, Vice President Shettima urged state governors to fast-track necessary actions at the subnational level. “Nutrition outcomes are ultimately determined within households and communities. This requires stronger local ownership and engagement of leaders and frontline workers to ensure effective delivery,” he said.
The Vice President also underscored the central role of women, noting that their leadership and participation are vital to improving household nutrition, childcare, and food systems. He stressed that financing should not remain theoretical: “Budgeting without release is not financing. Allocation without predictability is not reform. Nutrition must be protected, and every ministry must account for measurable changes in the lives of Nigerians.”
In addition, Vice President Shettima urged former legislators in the cabinet to mobilise support for the passage of the National Nutrition Bill. The Council also received updates on national nutrition programmes, budgeting outlooks, and progress under the ANRiN 2.0 framework.
State governments, represented by the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, alongside development partners such as UNICEF and the Aliko Dangote Foundation, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting nutrition-focused projects across all levels. The State Council on Nutrition has been inaugurated in nine states, with plans to expand further.
The NCN emphasised the need for inter-ministerial collaboration, the setting of clear performance targets, and the convergence of nutrition-smart interventions at the household level. The Minister of Education, Dr. Morufu Tunji Alausa, recommended the creation of a sustainable funding structure to underpin the Federal Government’s nutrition strategy, ensuring that investments deliver real improvements across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
The move signals a shift from policy promises to accountable action, aiming to ensure that Nigeria’s nutrition agenda delivers measurable impact for households, communities, and the nation at large.
