Reps Demand Nutrition Interventions Details From Health Ministry
By Juliet Vincent
The House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has directed the Ministry of Health to provide detailed information on all nutrition interventions implemented by the federal government and donor agencies to address malnutrition in the country.
The directive was issued by the Committee Chairman, Rep. Chike Okafor, during a budget defence session with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Daju Kachollom.
Rep. Okafor stated, “We need concrete figures for the 2024 implementation and clearly defined projections for 2025. Additionally, we require a comprehensive rundown of all support received from development partners—27 of them—including funding, products, or services. Whether direct or indirect, all expenditures need to be accounted for under Sections 81 and 82 of the 1999 Constitution, which authorize us to review spending by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).”
He also emphasized the importance of understanding the plans and contributions of development partners for the current year.
“Many of these partners, especially foreign-based ones, outline their annual programs at the beginning of the year. We must see their proposed contributions for 2025,” he said.
Okafor noted the reliance on development partners for certain essential nutrition products, citing vitamin A as an example, which is largely supplied by the ENA.
“While partners provide these items, we still see similar provisions in project budgets. This duplication needs clarity,” he added.
The chairman also stressed that the Committee’s focus is on improving nutrition outcomes and urged the Ministry to provide the requested details promptly.
Earlier in her presentation, the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, disclosed that the Ministry proposed ₦2,923,104,095 for nutrition interventions in the 2025 budget.
She highlighted that these funds are intended for critical therapeutic supplies such as MMS (Multiple Micronutrient Supplements), folic acid, iron, and vitamin A, rather than procurement of hardware.
Kachollom explained that 11 states are participating in the World Bank-funded Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, following Akwa Ibom’s withdrawal.
She noted that the program focused on community-based approaches and behavioral change communication, which have led to significant reductions in stunting across various states over the past two years.
“For 2025, we aim to upscale interventions with the proposed funds. This includes procuring essential nutrition commodities, building the capacity of health workers, and collaborating with the Primary Healthcare Development Agency and NAFDAC to ensure quality fortification and distribution,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary also highlighted efforts to enhance local manufacturing of therapeutic foods.
“We now have three local manufacturers producing Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF), and we are exploring ways to increase this number. The focus is on reducing dependence on imports and fostering homegrown solutions to combat malnutrition,” Kachollom stated.
She added that 32 out of 36 states have established nutrition committees, which the Ministry plans to collaborate with for more effective interventions.
She also appealed to the private sector to support the provision of RUTF for children.
The Committee commended the Ministry’s initiatives and reiterated the importance of ensuring that proposed funds and interventions are effectively utilized to tackle malnutrition and improve nutrition outcomes in Nigeria.
