Over N65bn pledged for First Lady’s National Community Food Bank Programme
A total of over N65 billion has been mobilised for the National Community Food Bank Programme, anchoring the First Lady’s hunger-fighting drive with a combination of N20 billion from the Aliko Dangote Foundation, N10 billion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited over five years, N500 million from the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, N500 million from the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, N17 billion from the Federal Government through a special intervention in the Social Action Fund, a matching N17 billion from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), and an initial $500,000 (about N692.5 million at the current exchange rate) pledged by “friends of Her Excellency” who wish to remain anonymous.
The commitments were announced at the inauguration of the Board of Trustees and fundraising ceremony of the Community Food Bank Trust Fund, an initiative led by the First Lady in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), and the Bank of Agriculture.
The First Lady formally inaugurated the Board of Trustees and announced her own N500 million contribution.
The First Lady said: “I am delighted and honoured to be part of the inauguration of the Board of Trustees and Fundraising Ceremony for the Community Food Bank Trust Fund. I am inspired by the demonstration of generosity and support shown today towards strengthening food support systems for vulnerable households across our country.”
She underscored the birth of the scheme: “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 6 years, strengthening community-based nutrition systems, and restore hope where it is most needed. This initiative is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, CFR, to advance food security and safeguard the well-being of every Nigerian child.”
Speaking on the partnership architecture, she said: “This programme is in conjunction with my office, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and the Bank of Industry. Globally, food banks are proven to be effective mechanisms for ensuring that nutritious food reaches those who need it most through strategic partnerships with farmers, food producers, corporate organisations, civil society groups, and community institutions. Food banks create a bridge between abundance and need.”
She defined the governance ambition: “Our goal is to build a strong and effective food bank system in Nigeria that is supported through a well-structured trust fund, governed transparently, and capable of reaching communities and households across the country. Members of the Board of Trustees of the Community Food Bank Trust Fund are distinguished individuals with a wealth of experience, integrity, and deep commitment to public service. They will provide the strategic leadership and oversight needed to ensure that this trust fund is governed with transparency, efficiency, and accountability. Their collective leadership will ensure that every Naira donated is used judiciously. I congratulate you all, and I thank you for accepting this all-important national responsibility.”
She hailed early supporters: “Also, I applaud the individuals and organisations that have already demonstrated confidence in this initiative through their generous pledges and donations. This gives us the impetus that this initiative will succeed and grow to serve communities across the country.
“I appeal to many more well-meaning Nigerians, organisations, and institutions to join this national effort as the program will be taken across the six geopolitical zones of the country.”
Mrs Tinubu lauded key partners: “I commend the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, CON, and his entire team, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Industry, Mr Olasupo Eniola, for their collaboration and support in advancing this initiative.”
She announced her personal contribution: “We are collecting commitment, hope, nourishment and dignity for many families across our nation. Personally, I will be donating the sum of 500 million. And I equally invite every Nigerian to support it. 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.”
Zouera Youssoufou, Managing Director and CEO of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, opened the corporate donations with a pledge of N20 billion in-kind support over five years.
She said: “It is an honour to stand here today on behalf of the organised private sector. This programme directly addresses food insecurity among vulnerable households, particularly children under six. Aliko Dangote Foundation will commit N20 billion in-kind support over the next five years on the provision of fortified and nutritious food products.”
She urged other corporate actors to join: “I would like to call on the entire organised private sector to actively support this programme. Success means a Nigeria where no child goes to bed hungry.”
Sofia Mbakwe, speaking for the Group Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bayo Ojulere, confirmed a N10 billion commitment spread over five years.
She said: “This ceremony stands as a powerful testament of purposeful leadership by Her Excellency Senator Oluremi Tinubu. NNPC Limited is committing a starting sum of N10 billion to be disbursed over the five-year period.”
She added: “NNPC will leverage our strategic partners and stands ready to work with you to ensure that this program delivers lasting and measurable impact.”
Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, represented by Chidioke James, announced a N500 million contribution, framing it as a statement of hope.
He said, “Today is not just about launching a fund. It is about launching hope. No society can truly prosper while hunger persists. We are very proud to stand with the mother of the nation, the First Lady. The founder has asked that I announce the commitment of 500 million.”
Nigeria Governors’ Forum, represented by Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, pledged to match the N17 billion federal commitment with a counterpart fund.
The Governor said: “Across our states, we see the pressure many households face in accessing affordable and nutritious food. More than one-third of the children under five are stunted. This points to chronic undernutrition with lasting consequences for fiscal growth and development. This is not only a health issue; it’s a national issue.”
He commended the First Lady’s leadership: “The NGF stands ready to work closely with the federal government… I’ll confer with my colleague… We’ll present a counterpart fund that will closely align with what the Federal Government is donating. Across our states, we are committed to ensuring that vulnerable children and households do not go to bed hungry.”
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, positioned nutrition as a national and moral imperative, saying: “Central to this mission is a simple but powerful truth: Health does not begin in hospitals alone. It begins in our homes, in our communities, and it starts with adequate nutrition. And it is not only a necessity, politically, but it’s a moral imperative that we ensure that no Nigerian child goes to bed hungry.”
The Minister added: “Our nutrition remains one of the most serious public health challenges that we face, contributing significantly to under-five mortality, limiting growth. There are many statistics that have been mentioned, but behind these statistics are real families, real people, real children, and communities whose well-being depends on our collective action.”
On the National Community Food Bank Programme, Pate described it as a practical, system-based response: “The National Community Food Bank Program, therefore, presents a very practical and compassionate response to this challenge. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare will support the implementation of this initiative directly through the ministry but also through the Primary Health Care Development Agency, leveraging Nigeria’s extensive network of primary health care facilities and working very closely with all the state governments and the local governments that are here.”
He disclosed that the Federal Government has approved a N17 billion intervention through the Social Action Fund, saying: “In addition, I’ve been informed that His Excellency the President has already approved a special intervention of 17 billion Naira through the Social Action Fund… to buy local contribution to this effort, this community-based nutrition effort. That will allow us to decentralise the social action to communities, proper governance using public resources as a complement to what the private sector and the financing are doing.”
Pate urged states to match the federal commitment, stressing, “If every state contributes just 500 million Naira, that will rise and then match what the federal government is putting on the table. Together we can build Nigeria where no child goes to bed hungry, and every family has the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life.”
He also highlighted the broader funding pool, saying: “Already we have had 20 billion Naira commitment by the Aliko Dangote Foundation, 500 million Naira commitment by the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, other contributors, the NNPC with its 10 billion commitment.”
He added: “I am pleased to also inform the assembly that the friends of Her Excellency the First Lady, who wish to remain anonymous, have asked me to announce an initial contribution of 500,000 dollars to start, but more to come.”
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, described the National Community Food Bank Programme as a shift from “sympathy to structure and from concern to coordinated response,” saying the initiative’s community-driven and well-structured approach organises support measurably and sustainably.
He cited alarming data that about 12 million Nigerian children under five are stunted and nearly half face chronic undernourishment, while malnutrition contributes to nearly half of under-five deaths, even as the country suffers post-harvest losses of up to 20–60 per cent on some perishable crops.
“The question, therefore, is not only about production, but connection,” he said, adding that the Trust Fund “provides a disciplined mechanism to aggregate resources, ensure sustainability, and move locally produced food through structured supply systems to households.”
Kyari emphasized the repositioned role of the Bank of Agriculture as a strategic bridge between farmers and national outcomes, explaining that by hosting the Trust Fund, aggregating produce from Nigerian farmers, and coordinating distribution through the health and social registry, the bank ensures that food reaches the most vulnerable.
He described the effort as an “integrated national response” involving the health system, the Bank of Agriculture, and federal and state institutions, underscoring that the Board of Trustees holds a stewardship role over trust, resources, and outcomes.
The ministry, he said, will back a robust supply chain, integrate farmers into structured offtake arrangements, and align value chains to the programme, while stressing that food security is a foundation of human dignity: “A child who eats regularly can learn; a worker who is well-nourished can be productive; a family with reliable access to food can invest and thrive.”
Representing the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hamisu Mohammed anchored the initiative at the grassroots level, underscoring the role of local government without specifying a separate monetary figure.
Mohammed stated: “This initiative comes at a critical time for food insecurity and rising cost of living. Local government is the custodian of the community and the masses. This initiative is a signature legacy project… Local government fully appreciates grassroots-driven solutions.”
He acknowledged ALGON’s alignment: “We are tying this to our commitment to community development and poverty reduction. We pledge cooperation and partnership particularly in rural and underserved communities.”
Ayodeji Sotinrin, Managing Director/CEO of Bank of Agriculture, where the fund is domiciled, spelt out the operational safeguards.
Sotinrin said: “This particular fund is built on longevity and trust, and most importantly, to solve the pressing demand for eradicating hunger in Nigeria. It is domiciled in the Bank of Agriculture, which is Nigeria’s apex agricultural development finance institution, and every contribution flows into a dedicated ring-fenced account managed under the oversight of the Board of Trustees. No single person can authorise a disbursement. A minimum of three to five authorised trustees must co-sign every approval, and that is the standard we have set for ourselves.”
He described the flow of resources: “Contributions are received, trustees approve, procurement packages are assembled through Bank of Agriculture networks. As some of you know, we have 110 branches across the country, giving us close proximity to most of the communities and also distribution is carried out through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency primary health care network, reaching beneficiaries at the ward level and across all 36 states.”
Stressing transparency, he said: “At every stage—procurement, distribution and reporting—there is independent verification and quarterly reports that will be published for all donors to see.”
He introduced the board members, naming the First Lady as Chair and himself as Secretary, with Prof. Ali Pate, Dr Mansur Mokhtar, the Executive Director of NPHCDA, and Hon. Wahab Allau-Kings as trustees.
He said: “Each of these individuals brings the institutional reach, the policy authority, or the community access to make this fund work at scale, sustainably, and with integrity. For us, we see this as the pathway to eradicating malnutrition in Nigeria.”
He concluded: “No cash ever touches a beneficiary’s hand, food packages only, reducing diversion to near zero. Three co-signatures for every disbursement. External auditors appointed independently of BOA. A real-time digital dashboard where registered donors can see exactly where their money’s been spent. And the National Primary Health Care Development Agency ward-level lists, cross-verified with registers, confirmation at point of distribution, community monitors will be present at every handover.”