N65bn raised, as First Lady launches National Community Food Bank Programme
...targets 500,000 households within one year
By Ejire Folakunmi
The launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme on Thursday has attaracted donations totalling N65 billion.
The initiative, spearheaded by First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, aims to reach an initial 500,000 households nationwide within its first year to combat chronic hunger and malnutrition.
The significant financial pool was amassed through a coordinated fundraising effort involving the Federal Government, state governors, and private philanthropists.
Key contributions included a N17 billion special intervention from the Federal Government via the Social Action Fund, which was matched by another N17 billion pledge from the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF).
Corporate and private donors also stepped forward, with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited pledging N10 billion over five years.
The First Lady also personally donated N500 million to the fund, a gesture matched by the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation.
Other contributors included the Aliko Dangote Foundation and anonymous "friends of Her Excellency," who pledged $500,000 (approximately N692.5 million).
Speaking at the inauguration of the Board of Trustees and the fundraising ceremony for the Community Food Bank Trust Fund, the First Lady described the program as a structured, sustainable response to the nutrition crisis facing vulnerable children under the age of six.
"The Community Food Bank Program was conceived as a sustainable response to bringing healthy and nutritious food within the reach of vulnerable children, strengthening community-based nutrition systems, and restoring hope where it is most needed," she stated.
She emphasized that the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to safeguard the well-being of every Nigerian child.
The urgency of the program was underscored by Kwara Governor and NGF Chairman, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, who warned that more than one-third of Nigerian children under five are stunted.
"This points to chronic undernutrition with lasting consequences for physical growth and development. This is not only a health issue; it's a national issue," he remarked.
Supporting this sentiment, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, noted that malnutrition contributes to nearly half of all under-five deaths in the country.
He described the Trust Fund as a shift from sympathy to structure, moving locally produced food through disciplined supply systems directly to households.
To ensure accountability, the fund is domiciled at the Bank of Agriculture (BoA).
Commenting, Ayodeji Sotinrin, MD/CEO of the BoA and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, outlined rigorous safeguards, including a ring-fenced account and the requirement of multiple authorized trustees for any disbursement.
The Board of Trustees is chaired by the First Lady, with members including Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, Dr. Mansur Mokhtar, and Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King. The program is set for a phased rollout across all six geopolitical zones.