UNICEF, CSO, others say malnutrition is a critical public health concern in Nigeria

Segun Babatunde Awofadeji, Bauchi

Nutrition has been described as a critical part of health and development because it continues to be one of the world’s most critical health and human development challenges causing high-burden nations to lose approximately 2-3 percent of GDP.

The observation was made yesterday during a quarterly review meeting of nutrition situation in Bauchi State organised by

Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other relevant stakeholders.

In a presentation titled: “Strengthening Child Nutrition in Bauchi State: The Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) and 6 Paid Maternity Leave- A Unique Opportunity”, it was further observed that it threatens countries’ achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Making the presentation, Dabis Mwalike Bauchi State Secretary of CS-SUNN, stated that as investing in nutrition significantly multiplies the positive outcomes for maternal and child health, cognitive function and educability, human capital, economic growth and poverty reduction.

She stressed that, “Nutrition, the assimilation by living organisms of food materials that enable them to grow, maintain themselves, and reproduce. Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life.

She explained that Nutrition is the study of nutrients in food, how the body uses them, and the relationship between diet, health, and disease while malnutrition refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of

essential nutrients or impaired nutrient utilization.

According to her, the double burden of malnutrition consists of both undernutrition and overweight

and obesity, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases while undernutrition manifests in the forms of stunting, low height for age underweight, low weight for age and micronutrient deficiencies as well as Wasting, low weight for height, overweight and high weight for age.

The National Prevalence indicates that 36% of Children born in the past 2 years are put to the breast within One hour of birth, 29% Infants under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed while 12%

children aged 6-23 months are fed with a minimum dietary diversity.

Further in the presentation, Dabis Nwalike explained that Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) is a catalytic financing match mechanism that enables national governments to double their investment in essential nutrition commodities for the prevention and treatment of children who suffer from

wasting (low weight for height).

It was initiated in 2020 with specific focus to procure Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods to treat children who suffer from wasting while the vision expanded in 2022 to include other preventive nutrition commodities to enable early prevention, detection, and treatment of children who suffer from wasting.

According to her, In 2021 Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare benefited from $1,063,943 for procurement of Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods.

The call to action include mobilizing resources for Nutrition in 2025/26, release 2025 allocated funding on time and ensure utilization, allocate adequately for nutrition in the 2026 budget based on evidence and use plan to mobilize resources (Get

partners, philanthropist, corporate

organizations in the state to key into and align with the nutrition plan).

When the call to action is implemented, it will show that the current government cares and is interested in the wellbeing of

its citizens and future of its children

as good nutrition is key to economic growth of the state.

Speaking earlier, CS-SUNN State Coordinator, Maureen Jibrin stressed the need for immediate action to save the lives of malnourished children in Bauchi State lamenting that the situation is becoming very alarming.

She assured that CS-SUNN is ever ready to join the move to fight severe acute malnutrition in U-5 children across the State urging government to as a matter of urgency, release matching fund to be able to access the child nutrition fund (CNF). END