LAFIA- Stakeholders in Nasarawa State have pledged to collaborate in addressing the growing issue of malnutrition, which primarily affects women and children in the state.
The Stakeholders drawn from Doma, Lafia, Obi, and Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Areas (LGAs) made the commitment on Friday in Lafia at a workshop organised by the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN).
Participants at the workshop included officials of the Ministries of Health, Budget and Planning and Nasarawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NAPHDA), Local Government Chairmen, Speakers of LGAs, Civil Society organisations, community leaders among others.
Speaking at the event, Halima Yusuf, Director of Nutrition and Diarrhoea Control, Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, said that the incidence of malnutrition was alarming across the 13 LGAs of the state.
She explained that Awe LGA was the worst hit with the highest number of malnourished children and pregnant women.
The director explained that lack of nutritious foods had devastating effects on individuals, families, and communities which most times lead to stunted growth and even deaths.
She said that malnutrition was a significant problem in the state, with many children under the age of five suffering from stunted growth and other nutrition-related health issues.
Yusuf identified poverty, lack of access to nutritious food, and poor feeding practices as some of the factors contributing to malnutrition in the state.
“There are a lot of things and vegetables within the environment and household that people can add to their meals that are capable of tackling malnutrition.
“So, there is a need to invest in nutrition education across all communities of the state to enable the people know how to prepare nutritional foods using local sources,” she said.
On his part, Abdul Isa-Osama, Director of Budget and the Ministry of Budget and Planning, acknowledged that malnutrition was a multifaceted issue that required a comprehensive approach, involving government, communities, and individuals to tackle.
He explained that the state and local government areas were committed to providing the necessary funding required to support efforts geared towards tackling malnutrition.
He further explained that the state government had recently approved and released N125 million counterpart funding for the supplies of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS), a leading drug in tackling anaemia.
The Director further disclosed that the Chairmen of the 13 LGAs in the state had increased the allocations for nutrition-related issues in their 2025 and 2026 budgets in an effort toward helping to tackle malnutrition.
Also, Illiya Ibn-Aliyu, Executive Chairman of Nasarawa-Eggon LGA, who spoke on behalf of the LGA Chairmen, reinstated their commitment in support of the effort to curtail malnutrition in the state.
The Chairman explained that the LGAs would henceforth give more attention to issues related to nutrition brought before them and give express approval to funds needed for nutrition activities in their respective areas.
Ibn-Aliyu further assured that nutrition would form part of the agenda to be discussed at the monthly meetings of council Chairmen in the state giving the seriousness attached to tackling the menace.
Lilian Okafor, CS-SUNN Senior Communications Officer, noted that malnutrition remained one of the most persistent public health and nutritional challenges despite being preventable and treatable.
She emphasised that it affected mostly women of reproductive age, children and adolescents and had great impacts on the maternal mortality, child development, productivity and national growth.
The Communication Officer appealed to the state and LGAs to increase the funding for nutrition programmes and ensure timely release of the funds as the only way to defeat malnutrition.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stakeholders pledged to cascade the message of good nutrition and encourage people in their communities to source for local ways to prevent malnutrition. (NAN)
