4.4 Million Children In Northern Nigeria Suffer From Malnutrition, FG Reports

The Federal Government has expressed concerns that about 4.4 million children in Northern Nigeria are malnourished.

Director, Nutrition Department of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs Ladidi Bako-Aiyebusi, who stated this yesterday in Keffi, Nasarawa State during an advocacy meeting with nutrition experts and stakeholders on strategic advocacy policy for nutrition in Nigeria, said  Nigeria is facing a severe crisis of triple burden of malnutrition.

She said that the 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey report shows that nearly 4.4 million children in the North East and North West regions are malnourished

This, according to her is evidence by widespread macro and micronutrient deficiency, undernutrition and overnutrition with significant impact on health and socio-economic development.

She identified causes of malnutrition to include inadequate access to food, poor food consumption, improper feeding and caring practices, economic and political structures, low economic status, inadequate health seeking behaviours and low level of education among the populace.

The nutritional director however pointed out that globally, advocacy has been identified as a productive tool in promoting the interest of persons or situations especially when it is evidence-based hence nutrition, as every other component of health, needs to be promoted through evidence-based advocacy.

“It is believed that the National Advocacy Strategic approach will enhance collaboration, integration, capacity strengthening as well as develop an investment case for addressing nutrition in the Health Sector,” she added.

In an interview, Mr Kunle Ishola, Program Officer, CS-SUNN lauded the initiative of the ministry and said advocacy engagement cannot be effective except some steps are followed hence the reason for the technical and financial support of CS-SUNN for the stakeholders meeting.

He explained that the support of CS-SUNN is to enable participants to come up with an effective nutrition advocacy document that will change the narrative in Nigeria.

“If there is a way for it to go and it doesn’t go that way, don’t expect to see results.

“So having pushed issues of nutrition for years, we just felt that there is a need to channel a clear path for nutrition advocacy in the country.

“The essence of the meeting is to come up with elements that makes effective advocacy on nutrition issues,” he said.

Also speaking, Mr William Anyebe, a participant said a lot of nutrition advocacy is going on but there isn’t a document that guides the process hence the meeting to package a document that guides how nutrition advocacy is carried out in Nigeria henceforth.

“Considering that malnutrition is a very big issue in Nigeria, it is important to come up with a document that makes it very clear so that all persons involved in the advocacy for improved nutrition are properly guided,” he said.

Another participant, Prof. Salisu Abubakar, Vice Chairman, National Nutrition Technical Working Group also added that the document will guide nutrition advocates on how best to integrate advocacy and make it more collaborative for better funding and service delivery.

He said the strategy document will also capture new ways of tackling under nutrition in rural areas and over nutrition in urban areas.