First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu on Thursday unveiled a National Community Food Bank Programme targeting to deliver nutritious food to 500,000 vulnerable households in its first year.
The initiative, backed by N65 billion in commitments from corporate donors, Federal and State governments, has drawn praise as a cornerstone of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to combat hunger and malnutrition.
Speaking at the launch and inauguration of the programme’s Board of Trustees, First Lady Tinubu described the food bank as a “sustainable response” to reach children under 6, partnering with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and Bank of Industry.
“This bridges abundance and need,” she said, highlighting global models that channel food from farmers and producers to those in want.
The event witnessed pledges pouring in swiftly as Senator Oliremi Tinubu donated N500 million personally.
The Aliko Dangote Foundation committed funds, while the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), pledged N10 billion over five years.
The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation gave N500 million. The Federal government allocated N17 billion via the Social Action Fund, matched by another N17 billion from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). Anonymous “friends of Her Excellency” added $500,000 (roughly N692.5 million).
The First Lady chairs the trust fund’s board, with Ayodeji Sotinrin, managing director of Bank of Agriculture (where the fund is domiciled), as secretary. Other trustees include Coordinating Minister of Health Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate and NPHCDA Executive Director Dr. Mansur Mokhtar.
Safeguards for the programme include ring-fenced accounts, multi-trustee approvals for disbursements, and quarterly public reports, Sotinrin said. Distribution will leverage the bank’s 110 branches and NPHCDA’s nationwide network.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forumn (NGF), Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State vowed close federal-state collaboration, noting over one-third of children under 5 suffer stunting from chronic undernutrition—a drag on economic growth. Prof. Pate called nutrition a “moral imperative,” tying federal funding to community-level action.
Minister of Agriculture Senator Abubakar Kyari hailed the shift to “structured” support amid data showing 12 million stunted children under 5, half chronically undernourished, and massive post-harvest losses.
Local governments, through ALGON representative Hamisu Mohammed, embraced the program as a “signature legacy project” for grassroots delivery.
NewsQuest reports that the effort will roll out across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with procurement and verification at every step.
