Table of Contents
Nigeria's First Lady Oluremi Tinubu launched the National Community Food Bank Programme on April 2, inaugurating the Board of Trustees of the Community Food Bank Trust Fund and raising more than N65 billion in pledges from the private sector, the federal government and state governments in a coordinated national response to child malnutrition and food insecurity.
The Aliko Dangote Foundation led the corporate commitments with a pledge of N20 billion ($14.2 million) in in-kind support over five years, to be deployed in the form of fortified and nutritious food products for vulnerable households, particularly children under the age of six. Zouera Youssoufou, the foundation's managing director and CEO, made the announcement on behalf of Aliko Dangote, who attended the event and praised the initiative. "Aliko Dangote Foundation will commit N20 billion in-kind support over the next five years for the provision of fortified and nutritious food products," Youssoufou said.
NNPC Limited followed with a pledge of N10 billion over five years. Sofia Mbakwe, representing Group CEO Bayo Ojulari, described the initiative as a reflection of purposeful leadership and confirmed the company's commitment to working with Bank of Agriculture on distribution. The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation donated N500 million immediately. Unnamed friends of the First Lady contributed an initial $500,000, approximately N692.5 million at current exchange rates.
On the government side, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate announced that President Tinubu had approved a N17 billion intervention through the Social Action Fund. The Nigeria Governors' Forum, represented by Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, pledged to match that N17 billion with a counterpart fund from the states. Tinubu herself donated N500 million personally.
The combined pledges across all sources surpassed N65 billion at the close of the ceremony.
The scope and governance
The programme targets 500,000 households in its first year. Implementation will begin with a flag-off in each of Nigeria's six geopolitical zones between April and June 2026, with full rollout to all 774 local government areas planned between July and December 2026.
The Trust Fund is domiciled at the Bank of Agriculture under the oversight of the newly inaugurated Board of Trustees. Ayodeji Sotinrin, the Bank of Agriculture's managing director, outlined the accountability structure at the event. Every contribution flows into a dedicated, ring-fenced account. No single person can authorise a disbursement, with three co-signatures required for every payment. External auditors have been appointed independently of the Bank of Agriculture. A real-time digital dashboard will allow registered donors to track exactly where funds have been spent. No cash will be distributed to beneficiaries directly. The programme delivers food packages only, a design intended to eliminate diversion.
Ward-level beneficiary lists will be drawn from the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency's community registers, cross-verified before distribution, and monitored by community representatives at every handover.
The malnutrition context
The launch came with stark figures on the scale of Nigeria's food and nutrition crisis. Agriculture Minister Abubakar Kyari told the gathering that approximately 12 million Nigerian children under the age of five are stunted. Governor AbdulRazaq of Kwara, speaking on behalf of the Governors' Forum, put the share of children under five who are stunted at more than one-third of the national total, describing the figure as pointing to chronic undernutrition with lasting consequences for economic development.
Prof. Pate framed the programme in terms of the link between nutrition and health system outcomes. "Health does not begin in hospitals alone. It begins in our homes, in our communities, and it starts with adequate nutrition. It is not only a political necessity but a moral imperative that we ensure that no Nigerian child goes to bed hungry," he said.
Tinubu, who described the programme as central to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration, said it was designed as a sustainable intervention rather than a one-off relief exercise. "The Community Food Bank Programme was conceived by us as a sustainable response to bringing healthy and nutritious food within the reach of vulnerable children under six, strengthening community-based nutrition systems, and restoring hope where it is most needed," she said. She added a personal appeal to Nigerians of all income levels to contribute. "If a mother, even one Naira is not too small, it all adds up. A little drop of water and a grain of sand make the mighty ocean."
