Daud Olatunji
The House of Representatives has initiated an investigation into the alleged mismanagement of a $232 million World Bank loan intended for combating malnutrition in Nigeria.
The decision followed a motion moved by Chike Okafor, an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker, during Thursday’s plenary session.
The loan was secured by the federal government in 2018 to fund the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, a 21-year initiative aimed at reducing chronic malnutrition, improving maternal and child health, and increasing access to cost-effective nutrition services.
Managed by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), ANRiN focuses on pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under five in 12 states, including Abia, Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, and Kwara.
While the project’s first phase, spanning 2019 to 2023, was expected to yield significant progress, Okafor raised concerns about its effectiveness.
He cited the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2023/2024, which revealed worsening nutritional indicators, including an increase in under-five stunting and malnutrition.
“The programmes so far have been alleged to be ‘water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink’—a beautiful programme for solving malnutrition challenges, but it has appeared to produce miraculous and obviously ineffective outcomes,” Okafor stated, criticizing the handling of the funds.
The lawmaker questioned the impact of the loan on nutritional outcomes, especially given Nigeria’s declining global rankings in health and nutrition indices.
Following a unanimous voice vote led by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, the House resolved to mandate four committees—Nutrition and Food Security, Finance, Aids, Loans and Debt Management, and Judiciary—to investigate the utilisation of the funds.
The committees were directed to invite the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Development, the NPHCDA, the World Bank, beneficiary states, and other stakeholders to ensure transparency and accountability in the project’s implementation.
The committees have been given four weeks to conclude their investigations and submit a detailed report to the House.
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