The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Warfare is entering into partnership with a US Based organization, ‘Operation End Starvation’ to support the nation in combating hunger and child malnutrition.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, disclosed this when he led a delegation of the organization and other agencies under the Health Ministry to seek collaboration with the First Lady of Nigeria Senator Oluremi Tinubu to kick hunger out of Nigeria.
Prof. Pate emphasised Nigeria’s commitment to addressing malnutrition through existing government frameworks noting that the recently concluded roll out of the National Community Food Bank Program in partnership with the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria is already having a positive impact across the 6 geo-political zones of the federation.
“Nigeria is working hard to scale down its 6.4 million figure of acute child malnutrition, while also attending to the health of pregnant women and lactating mothers.
“A lot of good things are already happening in the country,” the Minister said.
In his remarks while stating the rationale behind the partnership, the Chief Executive Officer of ‘Operation End Starvation’, Williams Holdsworth Moore said the goals of OES, an initiative supported by a macro grant from the U.S. Government and other global philanthropists are primarily to push over one billion dollars annually toward preventing child deaths caused by starvation.
“The foundation is impressed by Nigeria’s focus on combating acute malnutrition and we are seeking a partnership for this global ‘Operation End Starvation’ programme.
“We want to move 1 billion to end starvation in the next 2 years across Sub Saharan Africa. The burden is high but the capacity is also very high.
“The US State Department approved that Nigeria should be part of our outlook.
“We have met with the Nigeria health team and they are the one of the best of many we have met,” he stated.
The First Lady corroborated this noting that this level of expertise, commitment and dedication transcends the various sectors in Nigeria.
“It’s been a delight working with Prof Pate, Dr Muyi and others. I also work with the Ministry of Education and others. The manpower we have now in the Ministries are so wonderful,” she said.
The First Lady stated that Nigeria needed an overhaul which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently doing and the Nation is inching towards the mark.
“Nigeria deserves better and there is nothing we give to her that is too much because if the system works, it will ultimately come back to us.
“I assure you that whatever aid you give us, this Health team would put it to good use,” she stated.
The “Operation End Starvation” of the Eleanor Crook Foundation aims to focus on Nigeria as a primary site to demonstrate successful large-scale investment through direct government partnership within the next two years.
The organisation is a public-private partnership nonprofit launched to end global child malnutrition and deaths from starvation across the sub-Sahara Africa including Nigeria.
