FG Moves to Protect Nutrition Funds as Shettima Pushes National Food, Nutrition Bill
FG Moves to Protect Nutrition Funds as Shettima Pushes National Food, Nutrition Bill
The Federal Government is moving to give Nigeria’s nutrition programmes stronger legal protection as Vice President Kashim Shettima announced plans to fast-track the National Food and Nutrition Bill, with funding security, accountability and continuity of interventions at the centre of the proposed legislation.
Shettima disclosed this at the Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he said Nigeria could no longer afford to treat nutrition programmes as temporary interventions dependent on individual administrations. The proposed law is expected to provide a more permanent framework for financing and implementing nutrition policies across the country.
The development represents a broader shift in the Federal Government’s approach to nutrition, with emphasis increasingly being placed on how approved funds are released, tracked and converted into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians. Shettima stressed that government budgets should ultimately be judged by their impact on citizens, particularly vulnerable children and mothers.
The Vice President said Nigeria’s Nutrition 774 Initiative would provide the platform for coordinating federal, state and local government efforts, with local councils positioned as important units for planning, financing and accountability. Nutrition committees have reportedly been established in 32 State Houses of Assembly and more than 450 local government areas.
Shettima also highlighted the financial dimension of the initiative, revealing that Nigeria’s $26 million commitment to the Child Nutrition Fund attracted matching support, unlocking $52 million for nutrition interventions. He added that 21 states had contributed $6.3 million since 2023 towards supplies for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition.
The Federal Government is also working on a proposed Presidential Nutrition Investment Fund, while the Nutrition Financing Subcommittee is tasked with developing additional domestic financing mechanisms. The move builds on earlier efforts by the National Council on Nutrition to ring-fence nutrition funding and ensure that budgetary allocations are matched by timely releases and effective utilisation.
The urgency of the proposed legislation is underscored by Nigeria’s continuing malnutrition challenge. Shettima said about 40 per cent of Nigerian children under five are affected by stunting, while undernutrition is estimated to cost the Nigerian economy about $56 billion annually. The National Policy on Food and Nutrition 2026–2035 targets a reduction in stunting to 32 per cent by 2029, 28 per cent by 2032 and 25 per cent by 2035.
The proposed law is therefore being positioned not merely as another government policy, but as an accountability mechanism intended to ensure that nutrition remains a national priority regardless of changes in administration. The Federal Government’s wider financing strategy had already identified domestic funding as the sustainable foundation for nutrition investment, particularly as reliance on external donor support becomes less certain.
Shettima further said government was engaging food manufacturers, vendors, small and medium-sized businesses, financiers and regulators to improve the availability and affordability of nutritious food. The administration is also seeking stronger compliance with food fortification requirements covering products such as salt, flour, edible oil and sugar.
With nutrition committees expanding across the states and local governments, the next major test will be whether the proposed National Food and Nutrition Bill can translate political commitment into enforceable funding, transparent implementation and measurable improvements at household level. For the Federal Government, the objective is clear: nutrition spending must move from budgetary promises to outcomes that can be seen in healthier children, stronger human capital and improved productivity.