Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has praised the country’s health sector workforce, expressing confidence in its capacity to support efforts to combat hunger, acute child malnutrition and preventable deaths.

The First Lady made the remarks while receiving a delegation from Operation End Starvation, a United States-based initiative, led by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, at a meeting focused on strengthening collaboration to address malnutrition in Nigeria.

According to a statement from the Office of the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu commended the expertise, commitment and dedication of professionals working across Nigeria’s public institutions.

She expressed confidence that assistance provided by international partners would be put to effective use by the country’s health team.

“It’s been a delight working with Prof. Pate, Dr. Muyi and others,” she said, adding that the quality of manpower across government ministries had been encouraging.

The First Lady also acknowledged the need for continued reforms, saying Nigeria deserved better and that support for the country should translate into tangible improvements for its citizens.

Speaking during the meeting, Pate said the Federal Government was working with existing national programmes to address malnutrition, particularly among children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

He disclosed that Nigeria was working to reduce the estimated 6.4 million cases of acute child malnutrition cited during the engagement.

The minister also highlighted the National Community Food Bank Programme, implemented in partnership with the Office of the First Lady, saying the initiative had begun making an impact across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

The programme is part of broader efforts to improve access to nutritious food and support vulnerable households.

The Chief Executive Officer of Operation End Starvation, Williams Holdsworth Moore, said the initiative was seeking to work with Nigeria to strengthen the response to child malnutrition and starvation-related deaths.

He explained that the programme, supported by a grant from the United States government and other international philanthropists, aims to mobilise more than $1 billion annually towards preventing child deaths caused by starvation.

Moore said the organisation was impressed by Nigeria’s approach to tackling acute malnutrition and intended to make the country a major focus of its intervention over the next two years.

The proposed collaboration is expected to demonstrate how large-scale investment, delivered through direct partnerships with governments, can help address malnutrition across sub-Saharan Africa.

Operation End Starvation is an initiative of the Eleanor Crook Foundation, which focuses on tackling child malnutrition and deaths associated with starvation.

While the meeting highlighted the potential benefits of international support, the success of the proposed partnership will depend on effective implementation, transparent use of resources and measurable improvements in nutrition outcomes.

Reducing acute child malnutrition requires more than emergency food distribution. Sustained progress also depends on access to healthcare, maternal and child nutrition services, clean water, sanitation, reliable food supplies and support for vulnerable families.

For Nigeria, the immediate challenge is to ensure that commitments made by government agencies and international partners translate into practical assistance for children and mothers most at risk.

The proposed collaboration offers an opportunity to strengthen existing programmes, but its long-term impact will ultimately be measured by reductions in malnutrition and preventable child deaths.

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu praises Nigeria’s health workforce as the Federal Government explores an international partnership to tackle child malnutrition and starvation-related deaths.