One million Nigerian children die annually from malnutrition before age 5 – UNICEF

Available data from the World Health Organization, (WHO), United Nations Children Educational Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank has shown that one million Nigerian children die annually before age 5.

The Chairman, Steering Committee of a Non-Governmental Organization, Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria, CS-SUNN, Mallam Sodangi Chindo Adam, made the revelation in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, at a two-day retreat organised for legislators and executives from Niger, Kano, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Lagos States.

Adam, while speaking at the retreat with theme, “Improved Malnutrition Funding: The Role of Legislators and Executives”, called for increased budgetary allocation for nutrition by state governments to address the problem of high infant mortality rate in the country as a result of malnutrition.

“What is currently happening is very worrisome because statistics from the World Health Organization and United Nations Children Educational Fund and even the World Bank is showing that one million of our children are dying annually before age five.

“And what UNICEF did was to identify malnutrition as the underlying cause of the infant mortality and morbidity for over 80 per cent of these children which means that over 800 of these children that die is as a result of malnutrition.

“This calls for action. That is why you see the legislators and state executives here for them to look at the statistics from world leading institutions like the WHO, UNICEF and World Bank for them to take appropriate action in their various states.

“I think we have the right mix of legislators including speakers, government agencies, permanent secretaries and other stakeholders. This is very apt and I think they will come out with solution to address this challenge”.

On interventions by the state governments, Adam said: “Most of the states are battling with the challenges of budgeting. Appropriations are not made for nutrition and even they are made the issue of releases becomes a problem.

“That is why we have the legislators and principal officers of state assemblies. What we are trying to change is the budgeting so that improved amounts will be budgeted for nutrition”.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman, Board of Trustees Chairman of CS-SUNN, Dr. Mbang Kouffreh Ada, explained that the aim of the retreat was to ensure food security for Nigerian children.

She urged legislators to make legislations that would support good and safe nutrition, adding that such foods should be free from contaminants.