The Oyo State Government, in collaboration with UNICEF, convened a regional meeting on Integrated Multisectoral Nutrition Programming in Ibadan on Tuesday. The gathering brought together policymakers from the six South-West states, including Permanent Secretaries and Executive Secretaries from state Primary Health Care Management Boards. The focus was on securing firm commitments to improve child nutrition through coordinated, multisectoral actions. Mr Seun Ashamu, Oyo State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, emphasized that malnutrition extends beyond health, affecting agriculture, education, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sectors. He was represented by Mr Julius Ayanleke, the ministry's Permanent Secretary. Ashamu confirmed the state's establishment of a State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN) to address children's nutritional needs. He also praised the Federal Government's Nutrition for 774 Local Government Areas (N-774) initiative, launched in 2025, for elevating nutrition as a national priority. Mr Muhammad Okorie, UNICEF Programme Manager for the Lagos Field Office, stressed that poor nutrition undermines child rights and irreversible intellectual development. He highlighted the importance of focusing on the first 1,000 days of life, including exclusive breastfeeding and timely complementary feeding. Stunting, he noted, is a key consequence of malnutrition, requiring coordinated action across all levels of government. Okorie added that UNICEF's Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) is reshaping government responses to malnutrition. Dr Folasade Adeyemo, Chairman of the Association of Local Government Chairmen (ALGON) in Ogun, affirmed the association's commitment to supporting the CNF and N-774 initiatives.
Mr Seun Ashamu highlights malnutrition as a multisectoral crisis yet only a state committee is mentioned as the Oyo response. The N-774 initiative was launched in 2025, but no data is presented on its impact in Oyo or other South-West states. Dr Folasade Adeyemo's pledge of local government support remains undefined in action or timeline. With stunting already tied to irreversible intellectual deficits, the absence of measurable targets from the meeting leaves children's outcomes uncertain.
💡 NaijaBuzz is an AI-assisted news aggregator. This content is curated from third-party sources — NaijaBuzz is not the original publisher and is not responsible for the accuracy of source reporting. The NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion only, not established fact. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. NaijaBuzz does not endorse the views expressed in source articles.
