By Adeola Badru 

The United States Government-backed nutrition intervention being implemented by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Oyo State received a major boost as the Oyo State government inaugurated Local Government Committees on Food and Nutrition across 20 local councils to strengthen the fight against malnutrition, improve food security, and expand nutrition support for women and children at the grassroots.

The initiative at the weekend, formed part of the one-year US-funded nutrition programme currently being executed by UNICEF in seven Nigerian states, including Oyo, with a strong focus on improving nutrition interventions for pregnant women and children under the age of two.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Oluniyi Oyedokun said the N774 initiative was specifically created to deepen nutrition delivery at the local level by ensuring councils commit concrete resources to nutrition-focused programmes.

He urged local government chairmen in Oyo State to make nutrition funding a priority, revealing that some councils in other participating states had already institutionalised monthly financial commitments for nutrition interventions.

“The local government chairmen and chairmen of nutrition committees have unlocked resources for nutrition.“

“Some local government chairmen signed funding orders of one million naira every month for nutrition, while others approved N500,000 monthly,” he said.

According to Oyedokun, the arrangement had proved effective in sustaining nutrition programmes because the funds are set aside before statutory allocations are released to local governments.

“It is something that has worked in many states. Every month, the allocation is adopted, and the money is earmarked specifically for nutrition,” Oyedokun added.

The UNICEF official also appealed to state lawmakers to channel constituency project funds into nutrition-related interventions, citing examples from other states where legislators committed significant annual funding to nutrition supplies and programmes.

“One of the states committed five million naira initially from constituency project funds, and by the second year it increased to 10 million naira per member annually.“

“With about 30 constituencies, that translated into nearly 300 million naira used to procure nutrition supplies. There are many ways to mobilise resources for nutrition,” he said.

Oyedokun further stressed the importance of aligning nutrition interventions with existing social protection programmes to ensure vulnerable households benefit directly from government and donor-backed support.

“You know the vulnerable families. If you do not know them, the social safety office in the state has their details across local governments. We must plan together and ensure interventions reach them,” he stated.

Also speaking, Julius Ayanleke charged local government chairmen to strengthen collaboration, transparency and accountability in implementing food and nutrition programmes across their councils.

He maintained that sustained commitment from all stakeholders remained essential to improving maternal and child health outcomes in the state.

Ayanleke described Oyo State’s Multi-Stakeholder Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition as a strategic five-year framework designed at the national level to guide nutrition interventions and broader development programmes.

According to him, the framework was developed through collaboration between government agencies and development partners, with technical backing from critical stakeholders in the nutrition sector.

He disclosed that copies of the nutrition action plan had already been distributed to local governments to support effective implementation at the grassroots level, urging council officials to maximise the framework in designing impactful community-based nutrition interventions.

Ayanleke further warned that accountability and measurable performance would determine which local governments benefit from future interventions and support opportunities from development partners.

He also appealed to committee members and stakeholders to support government efforts aimed at building a healthier population through improved nutrition and stronger public health interventions.