Governor Alex Otti has inaugurated the Abia State Council on Nutrition to drive the implementation of the Federal Government’s Nutrition 774 (N-774) Initiative within the state, to avoid malnutrition.
The Council, chaired by Governor Alex Otti, is responsible for ensuring the effective implementation and long-term sustainability of nutrition-related programs across Abia State, in line with national policy directives.
Speaking during the inauguration, held while receiving the National Technical Working Group led by Dr. Uju Rochas-Anwukah—Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health and Focal Person for Nutrition 774—Governor Alex Otti emphasized that nutrition indicators in the state would be closely monitored and consistently reported to know about malnutrition level.
Governor Alex Otti explained that his administration devoted 15% and 20% to health and education, pointing out that adequate feeding of the people is key to defeating sickness and malnutrition.
In her speech, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Nutrition and the Focal Person for the Nutrition 774 initiative, Dr Uju Rochas-Anwukah said the N-774 was established to improve nutritional outcomes across the 774 LGAs in the country.
Anwukah, who described malnutrition as a global menace that requires a collective efforts to combat, regretted that it is contributing to the high numbers of death in children in Nigeria and across the globe and also drives poverty.
She said that a national framework, Nutrition 774, which is a flagship programme of National Council on Nutrition has been collectively developed to tackle the menace of malnutrition and commended Otti on his administration’s strides in health and other sectors.
“Your Excellency, malnutrition is a menace killing our people.
“It is a global challenge. It does not just exist here in Nigeria. It is a universal issue that does not understand tribal differences”, said the President’s Aide.
