First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has urged governors in the South-West to take ownership of the National Community Food Bank Programme and establish food banks close to primary healthcare centres across their states.
She made the call on Tuesday during the South-West zonal launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The initiative, implemented in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency and Bank of Agriculture, is aimed at tackling food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable households.
Tinubu said the programme would prioritise children under six years, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers by providing them with access to nutritious food.
She explained that placing the food banks close to primary healthcare facilities would make it easier for vulnerable families to access the intervention while also strengthening the connection between nutrition and maternal and child healthcare.
The First Lady disclosed that three community food banks were being launched simultaneously in Sagamu, Yewa North and Abeokuta South as part of the South-West rollout.
She said the national programme was officially launched in Abuja on April 2, while similar zonal launches had subsequently been held in Borno, Jigawa and Kogi states.
Tinubu called on South-West governors to sustain and expand the initiative in their respective states, stressing the need for local ownership to ensure that the programme delivers lasting benefits to vulnerable families.
She said closer collaboration between state governments, healthcare providers and relevant federal agencies would be critical to ensuring that no vulnerable child or mother is left behind in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.
