The Adamawa State government has introduced the Nutrition 774 Initiative, an ambitious program designed to combat malnutrition throughout the state. This initiative is supported by a N300 million matching grant for the Child Nutrition Fund, reflecting the government’s dedication to tackling this urgent issue.
Dr. Mary Paninga, Chairman of the Adamawa State Planning Commission, praised the initiative as timely and impactful, emphasizing its potential to enhance efforts against malnutrition in the region. “The Nutrition 774 Initiative will bolster community-level responses by involving all 774 local government areas in the state,” she stated that the initiative seeks to expand nutrition interventions, reduce rates of stunting and wasting, and strengthen local measures against food insecurity. Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s administration has steadily increased budget allocations for nutrition over the past six years. Malnutrition poses a significant obstacle to education and productivity, hindering growth, learning, and cognitive development. Currently, one in three children under five in Nigeria is stunted, and nearly half of all child deaths are associated with malnutrition.

In her speech while inaugurating the State Nutrition 774 Initiative Committee and also launching the program at a town hall meeting in Adamawa, the Deputy Governor, Professor Kaletapwa Farauta, representing Governor Fintiri, reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting disadvantaged citizens through innovative programs that promote nutrition and well-being. She encouraged local government chairpersons to serve as chairmen local government food and nutrition committee. The initiative replicates its successes at the grassroot levels. Uju Vanstasia, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, pointed out the economic advantages of investing in nutrition, stating that “for every $1 invested in nutrition, we receive $23 in economic returns almost four times what we gain from infrastructure investment.”