Nigeria better positioned to tackle malnutrition — Nutrition Director

…bows out after 32 years of service

By Joseph Erunke

The outgoing Director of the Nutrition Department, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, has said Nigeria is now better positioned to tackle malnutrition than when she assumed office in 2023, citing major policy, data and service delivery reforms recorded under her tenure.

Speaking during the official handover to the incoming director, Bako-Aiyegbusi said the progress recorded in the sector was the product of collective efforts by government, development partners and other stakeholders, rather than individual achievement.

She recalled that when she assumed leadership of the nutrition unit in August 2023, it was still a division under the Family Health Department, with limited capacity and significant gaps in human resources, commodities and data management.

“At that time, we had just about 37 officers as against the 96 required for the department to function optimally. Two essential nutrition commodities — Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) and Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements — were not on the National Essential Medicines List, and nutrition commodities were not captured on the Nigerian Health Logistics Management Information System,” she said.

According to her, the absence of an integrated data system meant the ministry relied heavily on development partners for basic information on nutrition supplies, including quantities of ready-to-use therapeutic food imported, distributed and consumed.

She also noted that the National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey conducted in 2021 remained unfinalised as of 2023, despite its importance in providing baseline data on micronutrient deficiencies in Nigeria, a country grappling with the triple burden of malnutrition — undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.

Highlighting achievements since the division was upgraded to a full department in November 2023, Bako-Aiyegbusi said the government successfully introduced MMS as part of efforts to reduce anaemia among pregnant women.

“In 2024, Nigeria received three million bottles of MMS, which were distributed to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory based on anaemia burden. In 2025, another three million bottles were distributed. In 2024 alone, over 2.3 million pregnant women received one bottle each,” she said.

Each bottle, she explained, contains 180 tablets with 15 essential micronutrients taken daily throughout pregnancy to support maternal health and healthy fetal development.

She described Nigeria as the first country globally to introduce MMS for anaemia prevention among pregnant women through a structured, government-led policy approach.

This, she said, included the development of a national roadmap, landscape analysis in 18 states, training manuals for health workers, and the training of over 120 national master trainers.

“So far, 12 states have conducted state-level trainings, while over 300 frontline health workers — nurses, midwives and doctors — have been trained in five states to ensure safe and standardised delivery of MMS,” she added.

On breastfeeding, the outgoing director said Nigeria recorded a global milestone during the 2024 World Breastfeeding Week, when over 31 million women across the country breastfed simultaneously for one minute, setting a world record.

Addressing child malnutrition, she acknowledged that the 2024 National Demographic and Health Survey showed that 40 per cent of Nigerian children under five are stunted.

However, she said decisive actions were taken, including the establishment of 362 additional treatment sites in 13 high-burden states to improve access to care for severely malnourished children.

“We have also trained community volunteers to identify severely malnourished children early and refer them promptly to health facilities,” she said.

Bako-Aiyegbusi also highlighted the Nutrition 774 Initiative, driven by the Office of the Vice President, as a major step toward decentralising nutrition interventions to the grassroots.

“All sectors are now working together at the community level. Communities are involved in planning, implementation and monitoring, and we are calling on the media to join us in holding everyone accountable,” she said.

She further disclosed that all nutrition commodities have now been onboarded onto the Nigerian Health Logistics Management Information System, with over 13 states and more than 300 health workers trained on data input and usage, ensuring real-time access to national nutrition statistics.

On sustainability, she said several policy frameworks were developed and launched, including strategies on social and behavioural change across the life cycle, nutrition in emergencies, advocacy and resource mobilisation, and multi-sectoral collaboration.

The department is also promoting the production of nutrient-dense local foods such as Tom Brown, standardising recipes using locally available staples, and planning the establishment of community nutrition centres to improve knowledge of healthy food combinations and preparation.

“There is food in every Nigerian community. The challenge is knowledge — how to combine and prepare food to meet nutritional needs. That gap is what we are addressing,” she said.

As she handed over, Bako-Aiyegbusi called for sustained political will, adequate funding, community ownership and strong media engagement to consolidate gains and accelerate progress in the fight against malnutrition nationwide.

Earlier, there was an outpouring of tributes from friends, associates and staff of the ministry during a warm and emotional handover ceremony to mark her exit as director.

Senior officials, development partners and staff described her tenure as transformative and impactful, crediting her with building the Nutrition Department “from nowhere to somewhere.”

Several speakers noted that she was the first substantive director of the department, praising her vision, leadership and technical expertise for positioning it as one of the most productive units in the ministry.

In her valedictory remarks, Bako-Aiyegbusi reflected on her 32-year career in the Nigerian civil service, describing it as fulfilling and instructive.

“Everything I know about work, I learnt in the civil service. I am a living example that the civil service is a good place to work,” she said.

Expressing gratitude to colleagues, family, management and media partners, she assured staff that although she was stepping down as director, she was not leaving the mission of nutrition advocacy.

“Once an advocate of nutrition, always an advocate of nutrition. Nutrition will always have a special place in my heart,” she said.

The ceremony ended with prayers and assurances of continued collaboration as she formally handed over to her successor, Mrs. Olufunmilola Bolape Adeghite, expressing confidence that the department would attain greater heights under the new leadership.

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