Ukorebi Esien
CALABAR — Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has launched the South-South phase of the National Community Food Bank Programme in Cross River State, as part of efforts to address food insecurity and improve access to nutritious meals among vulnerable Nigerians.
The programme was officially flagged off in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, with the initiative expected to provide food support to vulnerable households, particularly women, children and other disadvantaged members of communities across the region.
The launch makes Cross River the host state for the South-South rollout of the programme, bringing the federal government's food security intervention closer to communities in the region.
Speaking at the event, Mrs Tinubu said the Community Food Bank initiative was designed to complement ongoing government efforts to tackle hunger, improve nutrition and support vulnerable Nigerians.
She noted that access to adequate and nutritious food remained essential to the wellbeing and productivity of citizens, stressing the need for government and communities to work together to ensure that vulnerable families were not left behind.
The initiative is also expected to strengthen community-level response to food insecurity by creating structured channels through which food and other forms of support can reach people who need them most.
In Cross River, the programme is expected to have a wider reach, with the food bank initiative extending across the state's three senatorial districts.
The development comes amid growing concerns over the rising cost of food and the impact of economic hardship on households, particularly low-income families.
Beyond immediate food relief, the programme could also provide an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between food assistance and local agricultural production by creating greater demand for farm produce and supporting local food value chains.
Stakeholders at the launch welcomed the initiative, while calling for transparency, effective distribution and proper monitoring to ensure that the intervention reaches its intended beneficiaries.
They also stressed the importance of involving community leaders, farmers' groups, women and youth organisations as well as relevant government agencies in the implementation process.
The National Community Food Bank Programme is part of the Federal Government's broader social intervention and food security efforts, with the South-South rollout beginning in Cross River.
For many vulnerable households across the region, however, the success of the programme will ultimately be measured not by the launch itself, but by how consistently food support reaches communities and families facing the greatest hardship.
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