Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has urged state Governors to establish functional community food banks in each of their three senatorial districts, warning that federal interventions alone cannot adequately address food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable Nigerians.
The appeal came as the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) extended its food outreach programme to Katsina State, bringing to 30 the number of states to benefit from the scheme, in addition to the Federal Capital Territory.
The First Lady, represented by the Wife of the Vice-President, Hajia Nana Shettima, made the call during the formal presentation of food items to the Wife of the Katsina State Governor, Hajia Zulaihat Dikko Radda, for distribution to vulnerable residents.
She said the establishment of community food banks across the three senatorial districts of every state would strengthen local responses to hunger, improve access to essential food supplies and provide sustained nutritional support for disadvantaged households.
Tinubu stressed that the scale of food insecurity and malnutrition in the country required closer collaboration between the federal and state governments, with community-based interventions complementing existing national programmes.
She also announced the successful completion of the nationwide rollout of the National Community Food Bank Programme, designed to combat child malnutrition and support pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
The First Lady urged state governments to adopt the programme’s framework and establish functional food banks that would bring nutritional assistance closer to communities in need.
The latest distribution in Katsina is part of the RHI Food Outreach Scheme, launched in March 2024 under the social investment programme of the initiative to provide food support to persons with disabilities, widows and other vulnerable groups.
According to the First Lady, the scheme is sustained through contributions from two partners who provide two truckloads of food items monthly, enabling the initiative to support two states every month.
The extension to Katsina brings the number of beneficiary states to 30, with Osun, Ogun and Akwa Ibom expected to receive subsequent distributions.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda described the intervention as a demonstration of commitment to the welfare of vulnerable citizens, saying it complemented the Katsina State Government’s efforts to improve living conditions.
He said his administration, in alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, was pursuing investments in education, healthcare and agriculture to build a future in which residents could live with dignity.
Radda also said the state government had supported security agencies with equipment to strengthen their operations and improve security across communities.
He urged Katsina residents to support the ruling party in the next election, arguing that continuity in governance would help sustain development initiatives.
The governor’s wife, Hajia Zulaihat Dikko Radda, thanked the First Lady for the intervention, noting that the Renewed Hope Initiative had continued to support women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups through its social welfare programmes.
The food items were formally handed over to her by Shettima for onward distribution to intended beneficiaries.
The First Lady’s appeal places responsibility on state governments to complement federal food assistance with permanent community-level mechanisms, particularly as vulnerable households continue to require access to basic nutrition.
However, the effectiveness of the proposed food banks will depend on their sustained funding, transparent beneficiary selection and reliable distribution systems to ensure that assistance reaches those most in need.
