The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has confirmed its strategic engagement with the Presidency to accelerate the implementation of the Nutrition 774 Initiative, a nationwide programme aimed at strengthening nutrition, food security and primary healthcare delivery across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas.
The association said the development followed a high-level meeting between its national leadership, led by National President, Hon. Engr. Bello Lawal, and Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
In a statement issued by ALGON’s National Publicity Secretary and Spokesperson, Hon. Anani Hamisu Mohammed, the association described the engagement as a significant step towards aligning federal policy with grassroots governance, with local governments expected to play a central role in implementing the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to the statement, the meeting underscored the constitutional importance of local governments as the closest tier of government to the people and the most effective platform for delivering national development programmes.
Hon. Anani said the engagement established a stronger framework for collaboration between the Federal Government and local councils, ensuring that national policies translate into measurable improvements in communities across the country.
“Democracy derives its legitimacy where the people reside. In Nigeria, governance legitimacy is domiciled in the 774 Local Government Areas. This was therefore not a courtesy call. It was a calibration of mandates to ensure that federal policy translates into measurable outcomes at community level,” he said.
The ALGON spokesman disclosed that the association has adopted a coordinated implementation strategy under which all 774 local government chairmen will serve as Nutrition Champions, leading community-based interventions designed to tackle malnutrition and improve public health outcomes.
He explained that the initiative will integrate traditional institutions, women leaders, youth groups and community health extension workers into a comprehensive grassroots delivery network, supported by data-driven monitoring and accountability systems.
The framework, he added, will measure progress in reducing child stunting, improving maternal nutrition, promoting dietary diversity and strengthening school feeding programmes.
Reaffirming the association’s commitment to the Federal Government’s development agenda, Anani said ALGON possesses the institutional capacity and administrative reach required to transform national policies into sustainable community development.
“Our alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda is deliberate. We possess the institutional memory, the political will, and the administrative reach to convert policy intent into community impact. When the 774 LGAs are mobilised in unison, the trajectory of national development changes,” he stated.
He further pledged that ALGON would work to ensure that no child suffers preventable malnutrition, no mother is denied access to nutrition services and no community is excluded from the implementation of the programme.
The association also announced that the meeting concluded with a mutual commitment to establish a permanent interface between the Office of the Vice President and ALGON to coordinate implementation, oversight and long-term sustainability of the Nutrition 774 Initiative nationwide.
Observers say the strengthened collaboration is expected to enhance policy coordination between the Federal Government and local councils while reinforcing the role of local governments in delivering critical health and nutrition interventions to communities across Nigeria.