The Lagos state government has affirmed its commitment to prioritising nutrition intervention programmes in the state.
The state government, through its permanent secretaries gave the assurance when the Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), in collaboration with the Lagos State Committee on Food and Nutrition (LSCFN), visited the offices of the permanent secretaries in seven Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Office of the Head of Service/Public Service Office and Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Others are the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, Ministry of Information and Strategy and Ministry of Health.
The director, Public Affairs, Adesegun Ogundeji, from the Lagos state Ministry of Information and Strategy, averred that the importance of nutrition cannot be underestimated, adding that he has the mandate to create visibility to government interventions in the state and to give adequate education on nutrition to all citizens of the state.
“We promise to not only continue but even scale up and especially prioritize nutrition in the state,” he assured.
Receiving the team at the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, the permanent secretary, Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu added “We are committed to ensuring that the nutrition of the vulnerable in the state are well taken care of. Adequate nutrition is the heart desire of His Excellency, Babajide Sanwolu and we are to key into it and run with the vision”.
CS-SUNN also secured a laudable commitment from the permanent secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs who pledged to support the establishment of the Local Government Committee on Food and Nutrition (LGCFN) at all the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Lagos.
Recall that LEADERSHIP reports that the first LGCFN in Lagos state was inaugurated with support from CS-SUNN and in collaboration with the Lagos State Committee in Orile Agege LGA in 2022.
“We are very happy to have CS-SUNN in the ministry once again, we are aware of all the good works of CS-SUNN in Lagos and I have been severally invited to your program, but have been represented in the past. I am so glad to add a face to it today. The ministry will continue to support nutrition intervention in line with our mandate. CS-SUNN supported the inauguration of the pilot LGCFN in Orile Agege LGA and we will ensure that all the LGAs also adopt it and cascade the LGCFN across all LGAs in Lagos state.
“Once the state also adopts the creation of the nutrition department, we will not hesitate to implement it here in our ministry” permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, Kikelomo Bolarinwa assured.
CS-SUNN state coordinator, Mr Samuel Akinyode told LEADERSHIP that the visit was aimed at advocating for creation of a nutrition department in line MDAs and improved funding for nutrition interventions in the state.
CS-SUNN was able to secure strong commitments from the Ministries, Akinyode disclosed, even as he tasked the Ministries to put action to the pledges made, as the lives of women and children are at stake.
