Oluremi Tinubu tasks S’West govs on community food banks

The First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, on Tuesday urged governors in the South-West to take ownership of the National Community Food Bank Programme and establish facilities close to primary healthcare centres in their respective states.

Tinubu spoke at the South-West zonal launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The programme, which is being implemented in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Bank of Agriculture, is targeted at addressing food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable households.

The First Lady said the initiative was designed to provide nutritious food to children under six years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

She said three food banks were being launched simultaneously in Sagamu, Yewa North and Abeokuta South as part of the South-West rollout.

According to her, the programme was formally launched in Abuja on April 2, while zonal launches had subsequently been held in Borno, Jigawa and Kogi states.

Tinubu, however, said that the success and sustainability of the food bank initiative would depend largely on the support of the South-West governors, saying her role was only to lead the sensitisation for the project, while the governors, in collaboration with the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, and other stakeholders, ensure that the purpose of the project was achieved.

She explained that, “I’ve done my bit; I’ll be completing the zonal food bank inauguration very soon. You can see that we are doing it in record time.

“I have two zones left. But if the nation or people are complaining that there are still children with kwashiorkor and all that, it is not our fault.

“The state governors are supposed to take ownership of all these facilities. It’s not just that we want to build just three food banks; we want a food bank very close to each primary healthcare centre. I am saying this so that they can do the needful.

“I encourage the governors in this zone in particular to set up community food banks in their respective states in partnership, not with me, but with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, to facilitate the supply of food items and provide operational support required for the sustainability of this initiative.

“We don’t expect this initiative to stop after Mr President’s tenure in office. We want it to be a continuous thing until every child is well-nourished and prepared to help make the nation greater. That is our intention.”

The First Lady also clarified that the community food banks were not conventional food hubs, but facilities specifically intended to provide free nutritional support and related interventions to disadvantaged people.

“A food bank is not a food hub, you know, like most people. Ogun State has one too. But it’s a food bank meant for those who are disadvantaged, and every treatment and everything done there is for free,” she said.

She said the initiative aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its focus on food security, improved health outcomes and human development.

Tinubu also commended the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, for what she described as his commitment to the welfare and development of the state.

She said the National Community Food Bank Programme would continue to expand until vulnerable families across Nigeria had access to nutritious food.

“I hope that the National Community Food Bank Programme will continue to grow and reach vulnerable families in every part of our country, ensuring that no pregnant or lactating mother or child under the age of six lacks nutritious food for healthy development,” she said.

The President’s wife, on arrival, had inaugurated the 250-bed Gateway Medical Centre of Excellence and the 108 housing units at Muhammadu Buhari Housing Estate, Abeokuta.

Speaking earlier, Governor Dapo Abiodun commended the First Lady for the initiative, saying the programme demonstrated the importance of linking food security with healthcare and social protection.

The governor said the food bank at Makun, Sagamu, would help the government identify vulnerable households, support children at risk of malnutrition and assist pregnant women and nursing mothers.

He said, “Food security is more than an agricultural concern. It is a health issue, an economic imperative, a social responsibility, and a question of human dignity.”

He said locally sourced food items would also create opportunities for farmers and strengthen the agricultural value chain.

Abiodun also praised the First Lady for her food outreach programme, which he said had provided essential food items to persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups since its launch in March 2024.

He said her initiatives, including the Every Home A Garden programme and Young Farmers’ Clubs, showed that tackling hunger required more than food distribution.

The governor also highlighted the inauguration of the Gateway Medical Centre of Excellence and the Muhammadu Buhari Housing Estate in Ogun State, saying the projects were consistent with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said his administration was committed to expanding access to primary healthcare across the state, to have a functional primary healthcare centre in each of the state’s 236 wards.

The governor further said his administration viewed housing as more than the construction of buildings, describing it as a means of providing dignity, security and stability to families.

He said the Muhammadu Buhari Housing Estate would help make home ownership attainable for workers, families, young professionals and other citizens.