Vice President Shettima Chairs 15th National Council On Nutrition To Adopt Decadal Food Policy Through 2035

VP Shettima chairs NCN meeting to adopt the 2026-2035 nutrition policy and the Nutrition 774 Initiative. Read about the new legislative and financial framework.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 29, 2026, 3:54 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Peoples Gazette

A Comprehensive Framework For Human Capital

Nigeria has taken a decisive step toward eliminating chronic malnutrition with the adoption of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition 2026–2035. During the 15th meeting of the National Council on Nutrition, chaired virtually by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the council approved the decadal policy and mandated its transmission to the Federal Executive Council for final ratification. The Vice President described the framework as the most consequential nutrition policy in the nation's history, emphasizing its multi-sectoral design and grassroots orientation. The policy serves as a strategic roadmap for protecting human capital and accelerating food security objectives in alignment with the federal government's Renewed Hope Agenda.

The Nutrition 774 Initiative And Sub-National Ownership

Central to the new policy is the "Nutrition 774 Initiative," a pragmatic program aimed at ensuring that interventions reach every local government area in the federation. To ensure sub-national ownership, the Vice President directed the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to lead the inauguration of State Councils on Nutrition in the 27 states that currently lack them within the next three months. Currently, only nine states have established these councils. Shettima underscored that the success of the reform will be measured by household outcomes in diverse regions—from Yobe to Bayelsa—rather than federal announcements alone.

Legislative Backbone And Financing Streams

The council has accelerated the development of the National Nutrition Bill, extending the drafting timeline by six weeks with a strict mandate to transmit the bill to the National Assembly within eight weeks. This legislation is intended to serve as a "legislative backbone" that protects nutrition financing from the volatility of political cycles and clearly defines the obligations of federal, state, and local governments. On the financial front, the council identified five key funding streams: domestic, bilateral, multilateral, private sector, and innovative financing. To optimize these resources, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction and the Commissioners of Finance Forum have been incorporated into the nutrition sub-committee.