The Federal Government and state governments have stepped up efforts to tackle child malnutrition and stunting, with a renewed commitment to take nutrition interventions to communities and households across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

The initiative, known as Nutrition 774, is designed to strengthen grassroots action through coordinated interventions in healthcare, education, agriculture, water supply, sanitation and social protection.

The development was disclosed by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, in a statement released on Friday, October 9, 2026.

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The statement followed the Nigeria–Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where Nigerian officials are studying strategies adopted by the East African country to improve nutrition outcomes.

The Nigerian delegation is led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, with state governors and federal ministers participating in discussions on how to translate nutrition policies into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

Nigeria, Ethiopia to Develop Nutrition Roadmap

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said Nigeria and Ethiopia would develop a roadmap based on lessons from the leadership exchange to accelerate progress in tackling malnutrition.

Pate described nutrition as a critical component of human capital development, stressing that addressing the challenge required cooperation across government institutions and society.

“Nutrition is key to human capital development, and it requires sectors to work together in a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” he said.

The minister acknowledged progress made through national interventions and community-based programmes but called for stronger implementation.

“We have to now go back and deepen the progress, accelerate,” Pate added.
He expressed optimism that sustained efforts over the next four to five years could produce significant results, particularly for children.

“There are reasons to be optimistic that if we continue in this direction over the next four to five years, Nigeria will achieve remarkable success in dealing with key issues affecting the people of Nigeria, particularly the children who are the future of our country,” he said.

Adeleke, Otti Highlight Need for Better Nutrition Policies

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke said nutrition interventions should prioritise children under five and pregnant women, noting that Nigeria needed to build on the progress already recorded.

“Especially for the young ones under five and, of course, pregnant women, it is very, very important,” Adeleke said.

He added that learning from Ethiopia’s experience could help Nigeria improve its approach.

“We have some success, but we can improve on it. That is why I am here, to learn from our counterparts in Ethiopia,” the governor said.

Abia State Governor Alex Otti also urged Nigerian authorities to learn from countries that had made progress in addressing nutrition challenges.

“There’s nothing wrong with saying that we have not done as well. And there’s also nothing wrong in learning from those who have done it, so that you don’t go reinventing the wheel,” Otti said.

He explained that malnutrition could not be addressed through food security alone, as healthcare, education, agriculture, climate change and poverty reduction were closely connected.

“Today, we have learned that it’s not just about food security. It’s also about health. It’s about education. It’s about climate change. It’s about agriculture. So, a whole lot of things are intertwined,” he said.

The governor also highlighted Abia’s investment in education, including the recruitment of 9,469 teachers, the development of 20 smart schools and the rehabilitation of more than 200 primary and secondary schools.

He said the state was committing approximately 20 per cent of its annual budget to education.

Insecurity Complicates Nutrition Efforts in Zamfara

Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal said insecurity had made it more difficult for the state to address nutrition challenges, despite its history of substantial food production.

“In the past, when you spoke about nutrition, we didn’t even have anything like that in the state because we produced enough to feed our people. However, because of those challenges now, it has become difficult,” Lawal said.

He, however, insisted that insecurity should not prevent the state from pursuing development initiatives.

“Should we be defined by the insecurity? The question is no. What else can we do?” he asked.

Lawal said Zamfara would continue to align with Federal Government programmes while adapting interventions to the specific needs of its communities.

Jigawa Trains 600 Women in Child Nutrition Programme

Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi said Ethiopia’s experience under the Seqota Declaration offered useful lessons for Nigeria’s Nutrition 774 Initiative.

He stressed that the programme must extend beyond national and state institutions to reach local governments, wards, communities and individual households.

“The one thing that is very important with 774 is the fact that it will have to go down from the national level to each local government, each ward, each community and each household,” Namadi said.

The governor also highlighted Jigawa’s homegrown nutrition programmes, including the Masaki initiative and a Tom Brown programme designed to promote nutritious food for children.

According to Namadi, approximately 600 women had been trained to produce nutritious food for children under the Tom Brown programme.

The initiative reflects the role state governments can play in complementing federal policies with community-based interventions.

Education Minister Warns of Consequences of Poor Early Nutrition

The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, said efforts to tackle malnutrition must begin during pregnancy and continue through the critical early years of a child’s development.

He warned that inadequate nutrition during this period could have lasting consequences for children’s future.

“If we miss that period, the 2,000 days, we’ve set those children up for failure in life,” Alausa said.

The minister explained that the Nutrition 774 agenda was designed to move nutrition interventions from the Federal Government to state governments, local authorities and communities.

“We have an expansive 774 nutrition agenda that drives our nutrition agenda from the federal to the subnational government, state, local government and the community,” he said.

FG Links Nutrition to Water Supply, Sanitation

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev, said improved nutrition depended on reliable water supply, sanitation, agricultural production and healthy living conditions.

“When we talk about the workforce, we must first talk about healthy living. A human being must be healthy before he can impact positively in any role given to him,” Utsev said.

He stressed that water was essential not only for drinking and sanitation but also for irrigation and food production, making it an important part of Nigeria’s broader nutrition strategy.

The Federal Government’s renewed commitment places state and local governments at the centre of efforts to improve nutrition outcomes.