FG To Launch ‘Nutrition 774’

By: Prudence Okonna

The Federal Government will soon launch ‘Nutrition 774’ to mainstream nutrition across all Local Government Areas of the Federation.

Accordingly, the launch is part of an effort to ensure that Communities across the country embrace homegrown foods for maximum nutrition.

It is aimed at promoting healthy eating and reduce the burden of malnutrition in communities across the country.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Vitalis Obi, made this disclosure during a Nutrition Walk to commemorate the 2024 Nigeria Nutrition week, in Durumi District, Abuja, Tuesday.

According to him, the Federal Government has encouraged Nigerians to key into the home gardens initiative for optimal nutrition.

The Permanent Secretary, who was represented at the occasion by the Head Food and Nutrition Division, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Clementina Okoro, said the theme of the walk “Nourishing our communities, empowering Nigerians for better Nutrition” is aimed at encouraging Nigerians to eat variety of meals from locally available foods for optimal nutritional needs of the body.

He noted that one of the ways to achieve this is to explore home gardening to cultivate other food sources, especially vegetables, which are mostly rich in Vitamin A.

Obi revealed that the nutrition week is on-going across the thirty-six states of the federation and FCT to create awareness on the importance of nutrition.

Obi added that the Nutrition Walk is also an avenue to interact with community members by showcasing that only a variety of foods can promote nutrition.

His words: “It is food diversification and variety of food that helps to promote nutrition.”

Also speaking, the Deputy Director International Cooperation Economic Planning Revenue Generation and Public Private Partnership ( EPRG&PPP), FCT, Celina Oluwafemi, said the FCT Administration is keying into FG’s home-grown garden initiative to encourage good nutrition in Pregnant women, infants, children, adolescents, adults, and elderly persons.

Oluwafemi, therefore, called on women across the six Area Councils of the FCT to use affordable food sources available in their communities to provide nutritional meals for their families.

The Nutrition walk, which brought together nursing Mothers, pregnant women and other members of the Durumi community was organised by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in collaboration with Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN), Nutrition International and Nutrition Society of Nigeria.

Abuja Digest reports that as Nigerians embrace this initiative, the country moves closer to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger.