The Kwara State Government has today flagged off the Multi Sectoral Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition for the year 2024-2025 for all the Local Government Chairmen and Members of Local Government Committees on Food and Nutrition, at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development.
The Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, Hon Abdullahi Abubakar Bata who flagged-off the programme applauded the government of Kwara State under the able leadership of the Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his commitment towards implementing people oriented programmes aimed at enhancing the lives of the people both at the urban and rural areas.
Hon. Bata reinstated the confidence that has been reposed in all the participants to actively discharge their responsibilities accordingly to achieve the objectives of the programme. He also urged the Local Government Chairmen to ensure that the committee perform their duties effectively by holding regular quarterly meetings and seeing to the timely approval and release of funds for the overall success of the programme.
The Commissioner further noted that the members of the committee were drawn from the various departments and units of the Local Government and other relevant agencies to be chaired by the Vice Chairmen, while the Secretary of the committee will be the nutrition focal persons in each Local Government Area.
Earlier, the Director of Community Development in his welcome address, appreciated all the participants and reiterated the importance of Food and Nutrition at Local Government level. He enjoined the committee members to actively take up their roles with dedication, noting that doing so will compliment the efforts of the State government geared towards encouraging citizens to eat right and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
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He also stated the importance of embedding the food and nutrition programme in their yearly budget within the years allotted by the policy plan, which will facilitate constant financial backing to ensure the smooth running of the nutrition programme.
Dr. Gbenga Bankole, the State Director of Multi Sectoral Plan of Action for Nutrition (MSPAN) and one of the resource persons, applauded the commitment of the State government to the nutrition programme and said emphatically that Kwara State is the first State in the whole of Nigeria to launch the nutrition programme at the State level. He reiterated that to solve the multi-sectoral crisis of malnutrition in the country, a multi-sectoral plan must be put in place to face it head on.
The State Director of Planning Alh. Alimi Surajudeen appreciated the motive behind the programme and appealed to the Local Government Chairmen to always facilitate prompt disbursement on funds to enable the programme run smoothly without any setback.
The Project Coordinator of Accelerating Nutrition Results In Nigeria (ANRIN) Dr Habib Lawal in his goodwill message recognized the move of making the Vice Chairmen chair the nutrition committee at the Local Government as a brilliant idea, noting that the Local Government Chairmen are always engrossed with so many activities which may cause major setback to the programme if they are put in charge.
The Chairman of Kaiama Local Government, Hon. Abubakar Abdullahi Danladi who spoke on behalf of all the Local Government Chairmen, appreciated the State Government for putting in place such an important programme to ensure that citizens eat right on a very low budget and to live a healthy lifestyle. He promised on behalf of his colleagues to embed the financial backing for the nutrition programme in their yearly budget and implored the participants to discharge their duties diligently. He laid major emphasis on the importance of good nutrition, especially amongst pregnant women, nursing mothers and little children.
