The Enugu government inaugurated the state’s sustainable food distribution programme on Tuesday, aimed at providing food items to vulnerable households to eliminate hunger and improve nutrition.

The programme is designed to provide food items monthly to vulnerable households for 12 consecutive months, and the food items were distributed to over 500 households in Enugu.

Inaugurating the programme at the International Conference Centre in Enugu, Governor Peter Mbah said the programme underscored the state government’s unwavering dedication to improving the quality of life for Enugu people.

Mr Mbah noted that, across the globe, food insecurity remains one of the most persistent challenges of our time. According to him, the United Nations estimated that no fewer than 735 million people faced hunger in 2020, and this reality hits closer to home in Nigeria.

“Millions of our fellow citizens continue to struggle with access to nutritious food, especially in the wake of economic shocks, climate change, displacement, and unbound poverty. Beyond the numbers and statistics are people, mothers, who skip meals to feed their children without access to proper nutrition, and communities caught in the cycle of scarcity.

“As a responsible and responsive government, we believe that no citizen of the state should go to bed hungry. This is not just a political obligation. It is a moral one. So, the Sustainable food distribution programme is more than just a palliative measure. It is a structured, strategic, and sustainable response to food insecurity,” Mr Mbah said.

He explained that through the initiative, the state was providing nutritious, locally sourced food items to vulnerable homes.

Mr Mbah restated that the government was empowering rural farmers and food producers by integrating them into the supply chain and partnering with local communities.

This, he said, the government was doing by partnering community leaders, clergy, civil society organisations, and private sector actors to ensure transparency, equity, and efficiency in distribution.

“We are aligning this intervention with the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goal two, which speaks to zero hunger, Goal one, no poverty, Goal 10, reduce inequality, and finally Goal 17, which talks about partnership for these goals,” he said.

(NAN)