16 States pledge legal backing for nutrition, 6-month paid leave

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Some key stakeholders from 16 states have committed to institutionalising child nutrition through legislation, declaring that the health of Nigerian children must be protected by law rather than left to chance.
The resolutions were finalized in a communiqué at the conclusion of Day 2 of the Strategic Policy Discourse on Nutrition in Kaduna.
The event brought together state representatives, development partners, and government officials to strengthen policies, boost domestic funding, and expand grassroots interventions.
To systematically tackle malnutrition, the participating states agreed to implement a series of robust policy and workplace reforms.
They promised to legislate six months of paid maternity and paternity leave to facilitate six months of exclusive breastfeeding, establish crèches in both public and private sector workplaces, and finalize the National Nutrition Bill, create dedicated Nutrition Departments within key ministries, and establish high-level State Councils on Nutrition.
While public service institutions in several states such as Zamfara already provide 100% salary payout during the six-month leave, the Head of Service for Zamfara State, Yakubu Sani Haidara, emphasized that the private sector must follow suit to improve Nigeria’s Human Development Index (HDI).
The discourse focused heavily on moving away from unpredictable budget allocations toward legally secured funding channels.
“Nutrition financing is built on law, not luck,” Dr. Osita Okonkwo, Country Director, Nutrition International
To ensure a steady supply of essential commodities including Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS), and school feeding supplies—the states committed to the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF).
Mr. Oluniyi Oyedokun, a Nutrition Specialist with the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, described the CNF as a “catalytic financing match mechanism” that allows state governments to double their investment by matching funds.
Oyedokun warned that many states still suffer from child stunting rates exceeding 30%, highlighting the critical nature of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
Citing data from the 2024 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike Okafor, urged states to maximize the CNF alongside the N774 Initiative to combat stunting at the local level.
To ensure transparency, the 16 states resolved to establish tracking mechanisms to monitor nutrition spending directly down to Local Government Areas (LGAs), ensuring that funding effectively supports maternal and child health at the grassroots level.