The Federal Government has described Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis as a national emergency, warning that the country loses over $1.5 billion annually to the challenge.
Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwuka, made this known in Calabar, Cross River State, during a courtesy visit to Governor Bassey Otu.
Rochas-Anwuka lamented that Nigeria currently ranks first in Africa and second globally for child malnutrition, a situation she said undermines human capital development and national growth.
“The Nutrition 774 Initiative was conceived to provide a unified response to Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis, elevating nutrition as a national priority,” she explained. “It is a multi-sectoral, community-based framework established to improve nutritional outcomes across the 774 Local Government Areas of the country.”
She said the initiative is anchored on a five-phase strategic plan designed to strengthen governance structures, ensure accountability, and guarantee long-term sustainability. According to her, state councils on nutrition will provide leadership, policy direction, and oversight to drive its implementation.
Commending Cross River for making budgetary provisions for nutrition, Rochas-Anwuka noted that such commitment would strengthen local systems and align with national priorities. “The vision is to achieve a well-nourished and healthy Nigerian population through strengthened local systems and coordinated national action on nutrition,” she added.
In his remarks, Governor Bassey Otu said his administration deliberately designed its policies to put citizens at the center of development, particularly in sectors critical to human capital growth.
“Our agenda was very clear from the beginning; we want a people’s government here. Everything we do places the people at the center,” Otu said. “Education and health are the two key areas that, if not working well, no society can make progress.”
He explained that nutrition and preventive healthcare are central to his government’s development strategy, noting that reforms in the sector are already yielding results.
“Since we started strengthening our nutrition sector, we have seen a steady decline in infant morbidity and mortality rates,” the governor said.
Otu highlighted some of the interventions introduced by his administration, including fully paid maternity and paternity leave, parental support for childcare, plans to fortify staple foods such as rice with vitamins, and the expansion of school feeding programmes.
“Preventive health is far more effective than tackling ailments after they occur. That is why we are investing in nutrition, early childcare, and food security to build a strong immune base right from infancy,” he explained.
Governor Otu thanked the presidential aide for the visit and assured that Cross River remains committed to reforms that strengthen health, education, and overall wellbeing. He called for stronger federal support to sustain and scale up nutrition-focused reforms.
