Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday in Abuja inaugurated the National Council on Nutrition, and the 2017 Global Nutrition Report.
Inaugurating the Council at the Vice President Conference Hall, Presidential Villa, Osinbajo said Nigeria must make speedy and visible progress in its fight against hunger, malnutrition and other nutritional challenges.
He noted that as Council had a robust roadmap to work with the National Food and Nutrition Policy, the nation must ensure that “the new Nutrition Policy is quickly domesticated in every state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).”
The National Food and Nutrition Policy was adopted in April 2016 by a broad coalition of stakeholders, comprising the Federal and State Governments, civil society and international development partners.
According to the vice-president, the inauguration of the council was a further demonstration of the seriousness with which the Buhari administration took the issue of improving the nutritional status of all Nigerians.
”That policy, if fully implemented, will ensure significant improvements in several specific national indices, including the reduction of stunting in under-5 children, reduction of wasting in children, reduction of anaemia in pregnant women, reduction in adult obesity rates, and an increase in the rates of exclusive breastfeeding.
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”More than any other government in Nigeria’s history, this administration has demonstrated its seriousness about catering to the needs of the most vulnerable of our population.
”One of the primary manifestations of this commitment to the vulnerable is our Social Investment Programme, comprising a School Feeding Programme for public primary schools, a Micro-credit scheme for small business people, a Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, and Jobs programme for unemployed graduates.’’
Osinbajo observed that the School Feeding Programme, which is meant to improve the nutrition of primary school children, had been active in 19 states of the country, providing one meal a day to five million children.
He said: “Our target is 5.5million children before the end of the year.
”At the beginning of December, we intend to carry out a mass deworming exercise on the back of the School Feeding Programme.
”Our Agriculture reform agenda is focusing on achieving self-sufficiency within the shortest possible time.’’
(NAN)