FG SCALES UP COMMUNITY FOOD BANKS TO CURB CHILD DEATHS FROM MALNUTRITION. (PHOTO).

 FG SCALES UP COMMUNITY FOOD BANKS TO CURB CHILD DEATHS FROM MALNUTRITION 

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, says the Federal Government is accelerating efforts to end child deaths caused by hunger and malnutrition through a coordinated, sustainable and nationally driven approach. 

The statement by the Minister during a meeting with the Eleanor Crook Foundation on Operation End Starvation emphasised the need to mobilise governments and philanthropic partners to ensure that no child loses their life because of hunger.

Prof. Pate said the National Community Food Bank Programme was designed to establish an effective and scalable model for tackling hunger, with implementation across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. 

It further highlighted the importance of collaboration among federal, state and local governments, alongside primary healthcare centres, the Bank of Agriculture and other relevant institutions, to ensure food support reaches vulnerable children and mothers. 

The statement stressed that the initiative must prioritise measurable results, transparency, accountability and effective targeting rather than uncoordinated interventions.

The Minister urged the Eleanor Crook Foundation and its partners to study existing government initiatives and work with relevant institutions to strengthen implementation and expand the programme. 

It also called for a clear path to sustainability, with states developing dedicated budget lines, providing the necessary human resources and integrating the programme into domestic financing arrangements. 

Prof. Pate said international support should serve as a catalyst for long-term progress, not create perpetual dependence, expressing the need for a united effort to significantly reduce child deaths from malnutrition across Nigeria.