FG, Lagos Govt, CSOs Forge United Front Against Food Insecurity

The federal government of Nigeria, the Lagos State Government, the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, and the Civil Society Network (CSN) have vowed to step up collaborative action against the deepening food insecurity ravaging the country. The insecurity currently affects an estimated 26.5 million Nigerians.

Special assistant to the president on Public Health and Focal Person for Nutrition, Uju Rochas-Anwukah, at the Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Civil Society Alliances Regional Workshop for West and Central Africa, in Lagos, issued a rousing call for Africa to stop managing malnutrition and instead confront and defeat it. She challenged leaders across the continent not to ‘stand aside and look’ while millions of children suffer.

Highlighting Nigeria’s renewed commitment to nutrition, she pointed to the Nutrition 774 Initiative launched in February 2024 as the country’s boldest reform yet. The initiative, endorsed by Vice President Kashim Shettima and other tiers of government, united health, agriculture, education, WASH, and social protection under one budget-tracked, results-driven framework across all 774 LGAs. “This is not a top-down policy, but a people-centred, bottom-up approach,” she emphasised, with funding tied directly to outcomes like fewer wasted children, nourished mothers, and stronger communities.

Rochas-Anwukah also underscored the irreplaceable role of civil society, describing it as the soul of this struggle, capable of reaching where institutions cannot. Under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, she announced that civil society will not only be included in nutrition planning but will co-create solutions with the government, adding that, “When civil society becomes organized, visible, and bold, budgets shift, policies bend, and lives change.” She urged them to remain watchdogs: “Follow the money.
Count the children. Challenge the gaps. That is not rebellion, it is responsible patriotism.”

The Presidential aide appealed for storytelling and visibility, encouraging CSOs to amplify grassroots success stories and innovations. “Data may tell the problem, but stories sell the solution. Let the world see the village in Kano that ended stunting. Let them hear the midwife’s voice in Borno who saved 200 babies. The combination of truth, boldness, and visibility will catalyse the change needed to secure Africa’s future. Africa does not lack potential. It demands boldness and deserves leaders who will rise like those in this room. May our voices be loud, our partnerships deep, and our work outlive our words,” she affirmed.

Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike Okafor, said the malnutrition situation in the region required urgent policy and legislative responses at both national and sub-national levels. He described the 26.5 million Nigerians facing acute hunger as alarming and unacceptable. “This staggering number paints a bleak picture of our nation’s current nutrition and food security state. The House of Representatives is determined to change this narrative. We are working to ensure policies are passed, adequately funded, and implemented,” Okafor said.

Okafor emphasized the importance of strategic partnerships between lawmakers, state governments, and civil society groups to strengthen existing policies and scale up nutrition-sensitive interventions. He commended CS-SUNN for its advocacy and evidence-based campaigns, which he said continue to draw attention to critical nutrition gaps in Nigeria.

The Lagos state government also reaffirmed its commitment to advancing nutrition as a cornerstone of human capital development. The special adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Lagos State Government on Health, Dr. Oluwatoni Adeyemi, praised the SUN Movement and its Civil Society Network for their unwavering efforts to end malnutrition through inclusive, multi-sectoral collaboration.

“Lagos is proud to host this convening of nutrition champions,” Adeyemi said, emphasising the state’s focus on innovative partnerships and evidence-based solutions to protect its most vulnerable populations. The gathering, she added, provides a vital platform for dialogue, learning, and solidarity among nations striving for food and nutrition security. She expressed confidence that the engagements would strengthen the resolve of participating countries to scale impactful nutrition programs and policies.

Country action specialist at the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Secretariat, Judith Kaboré in Dakar, hailed the unwavering commitment of civil society actors across West and Central Africa in the fight against malnutrition, even amid shrinking donor funding. Addressing regional civil society experts, Kaboré highlighted the gravity of the nutrition crisis in the region, where 6.9 million people suffer from global acute malnutrition in six Saharan countries alone, including 1.4 million severely malnourished individuals. She noted that at least 16.7 million children across the region are affected by acute malnutrition, while stunting impacts over 30 per cent of children under five.

Kaboré emphasized that these dire figures represent not just data, but real lives and development potential lost. Despite this grim backdrop, she said the SUN regional hub she represents continues to provide vital technical support, promote knowledge exchange, and drive political and institutional accountability across 19 French- and Portuguese-speaking SUN countries. She commended civil society for its crucial role, often voluntarily, in building grassroots awareness, pushing policy reforms, and holding leaders accountable for nutrition commitments. She called on participants to reflect on their successes and challenges, using honest introspection to strengthen their interventions. “That is also what it means to work with heart and passion,” Kaboré said, urging stakeholders to leverage opportunities offered by the new SUN 4.0 global strategy (2026–2030) and the regional SUN Civil Society Network strategy.

The executive secretary of Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Mr. Sunday Okoronkwo, emphasised the importance of the meeting, saying, “This gathering shows different parts of Africa coming together to combat a common enemy known as malnutrition.” He noted that while solutions to address malnutrition are available, funding remains a significant challenge.

Sunday praised the Nigerian government’s recent launch of the 774 project, which aims to take nutrition interventions to the grassroots level. The move is seen as a positive step towards addressing malnutrition, emphasising the need for collective action to implement these interventions and ensure they reach all communities and local governments.

The workshop aimed to deepen collaborations, refine strategies, and reinforce commitments to improving regional nutrition outcomes. Participants discussed ways to strengthen civil society’s role in accelerating progress on nutrition and shared best practices in advocacy and policy influence. The workshop was possible through partnerships with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).