By Ojoma Akor
The government of Nigeria is working in collaboration with stakeholders in the food sector to develop a Food and Nutrition Security Crisis Preparedness Plan (FNSCPP) for the country.
Speaking during a stakeholders meeting in Abuja, the stakeholders said the plan would help in the prevention and response to food and nutrition crises in the country.
Dr Nuhu Adamu Kilishi, Director, Nutrition and Food Safety, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, said the current food and nutrition security situation of the country is dire , adding that the population is hungry and malnourished especially those affected by crises.
He also said Nigeria has the largest number of food insecure people in the world.
While saying that about 161 million Nigerians are food insecure, he said 31 million people are projected to be hungry in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Jun-Aug 2025 lean season.
Dr Kilishi highlighted that diets were very poor in the country.
He said, “Less than a quarter of both men and women were consuming a healthy diet in 2024. The situation is also terrible in young children. Poor diets are causing high disease burden – both infectious diseases and non communicable diseases.”
He said development of the Food and Nutrition Security Crisis Preparedness Plan (FNSCPP) is crucial for mitigating and preventing crises and shocks that reduce food and nutrition security.
However, he said that the plan must address institutional capacity issues to be effective.
According to him, the Food and Nutrition Security Crisis Preparedness Plan (FNSCPP) must not only address crises mitigation and prevention but must also include effective institutional arrangements for ensuring adequate funding, human resource capacity, and multisectoral coordination.
“The FNSCPP must include not just interventions, but also how to strengthen the institutional capacity required to deliver interventions effectively,” he added.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate said the issue of food and nutrition is also significantly impacted by climate, noting that climate change is driving some of the uphill battles such as flooding, droughts, erratic rainfalls, among others.
He said a good preparedness plan will have to involve the sub-national levels, private sector, civil society, and development partners.
He said, “And the urgency of the matter is with us, because if we don’t have a plan when a crisis unfolds, we have planned to fail. I urge you to fully engage in these consultative processes, and to gather all the evidence that is needed to shape the plan; and to cooperate fully with the technical experts who are here to advise. I look forward to the outcome of these deliberations, and the results that we collectively will achieve in making sure that our country is resilient.”
Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu , Minister of Budget and Economic Planning said the food and nutrition security plan marks a significant milestone in the government’s proactive efforts to combat malnutrition, enhancing the health and well-being of the Nigerian people through a coordinated food and nutrition response strategy.
He said, ” the plan would offer valuable insights to strengthen early warning systems, climate resilience, and improved multisectoral coordination across government, UN agencies, NGOs, and humanitarian actors, aligning with national directives and financing requirements. This will help us achieve our goal of ensuring food security and nutrition for all Nigerians.”
Dr Ritgak Tilley-Gyado, a Senior Health Specialist, and Task Team Lead for the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project at the World Bank, said the ANRiN project has been implemented in Nigeria since 2018 and that the second phase, was approved by the World Bank Board in March 2025.
She said the World Bank at the request of the Government of Nigeria, committed $232 million to malnutrition.
She also said that as a result of the ANRiN project, that was a strategic and significant shift on the part of government from a treatment and curative approach in tackling malnutrition to a more preventive approach.
She said the second impact was that for the first time the Government of Nigeria implemented a large scale nutrition project.
The National Project Manager for ANRiN
2.0, Dr Ojuolape Solanke, said that Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children and about two million children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition ( SAM) according to the NDHS 2023.
She added that two out of every 10 of those children could access treatment.
She said the ANRiN project helped in the provision of services at the community level, adding that apart from responding directly to the people affected, the project also ensured that there is a preparedness plan in place.
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