The National Council on Nutrition (NCN) yesterday adopted a 10-year National Policy on Food and Nutrition (2026–2035) and directed the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning to present the policy to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval. The Council made the decision during its 15th meeting, held virtually and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Shettima said the new policy would serve as a comprehensive framework to address food security and nutrition challenges across the country. The Council also directed all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to establish and inaugurate State Councils on Nutrition within three months, to deepen subnational ownership of nutrition interventions.

Summarizing the Council’s decision, the VP urged members of Council to be guarded by the reality that behind every statistic discussed at the meeting “is a Nigerian child whose life chances are being written by what the government does or fails to do in the months ahead. “We will be judged not by our deliberations but by our deliveries.

Not by what we decided in April 2026, but by what mothers and children in the 774 local government areas experience by 2035,” he added. Shettima described the NPFN 2026-2035 as “the most consequential nutrition policy this country has produced,” saying “it is multisectoral by design, evidencebased by discipline, and grassroots by orientation”.

He added: “It is not a Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning document. “It is not a Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare document. It belongs to every Ministry, every State, every LGA, every ward, and every household represented in the work of this Council.

“Council mandates the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning to onward-transmit the document to the Federal Executive Council for final approval, and directs every nutrition-relevant Ministry, Department, and Agency to align its sectoral policies, plans, and budgets with the provisions of the NPFN within twelve months. The Council also approved the extension of the timeline for the submission of a draft bill on National Nutrition by 6 weeks and directed that the draft must be submitted to the National Assembly within eight weeks.