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The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has declared full support for the Nutrition 774 Initiative, a cornerstone program of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at combating malnutrition across Nigeria.

The commitment was reaffirmed during the National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security, held to commemorate the second anniversary of the 10th National Assembly. ALGON’s National President, Hon. Bello Lawal, was represented by Dr. Ben Nkechika, the association’s Consultant on Health and Social Determinants of Health.

In his address, Dr. Nkechika outlined ALGON’s active role in supporting the initiative through participation in the design of the N-774 Implementation Framework and Roadmap. He emphasized ALGON’s readiness to institutionalize nutrition-specific budget lines at the local level, mobilize sustainable funding sources, promote multi-sectoral partnerships, and drive grassroots awareness campaigns among State and Local Government Chairmen.

“Local governments are at the frontline of community health,” Dr. Nkechika noted. “By strengthening governance structures, boosting nutrition literacy, and empowering local farmers, we can significantly reduce malnutrition and stunting, while improving access to healthy diets and primary healthcare.”

ALGON is also pushing for stronger community engagement, data-driven interventions, and decentralized coordination to make the Nutrition 774 Initiative more impactful at the grassroots.

Dr. Nkechika called for intensified measures to safeguard farmlands and support local agricultural production, highlighting the vital link between food security and nutrition outcomes.

Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Dr. Chike Okafor, applauded ALGON’s contributions and stressed the importance of sustained collaboration between the Legislature, executive agencies, development partners, and civil society to bridge Nigeria’s nutrition gap.

The summit attracted high-level stakeholders, including representatives from the Office of the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Members of the National Assembly, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, and delegations from the Nigerian Army and Navy, UNICEF, FAO, and other international organizations.

With ALGON’s strategic involvement, the Nutrition 774 Initiative is set to harness the power of local governance to deliver tangible results in Nigeria’s fight against hunger and malnutrition.