By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has said that at least 12 million under five, U5, Nigerian children are living in severe food poverty.
UNICEF Chief of Nutrition in Nigeria, Nemat Hajeebhoy disclosed this in Abuja yesterday at a Media Executive Roundtable Meeting on Nutrition organized by the National Council on Nutrition , NCN, of the Office of Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibajo .
Hajeebhoy who disclosed this while speaking on the Nutrition Situation in Nigeria said that poor diets are robbing millions of children of their health, development, and lifetime prospects.
Due to Food insecurity in Nigeria, 19 million people which includes adults and children are food insecure out of which 1 million suffer acute food insecurity, the UNICEF Chief of Nutrition stated.
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She pointed that Nigeria ranks the number on in Africa and two in the world in terms of the number of children malnourished.
“Due to the reality of malnutrition in the country, every hour, almost 100 children die from malnutrition and if left untreated by way of food security by the government of Nigeria, the 12 million Hajeebhoy said, ” children with severe acute malnutrition, SAM, are more likely to die than a healthy child.”
As treatment to malnutrition , Hajeebhoy said,” It costs only N6,000 to prevent a child from becoming malnourished while it costs N 57,000 to treat ba malnourished child.”
UNICEF called on government to take advantage of the first 1000 days of children’s critical window of opportunity by investing more in a child’s life from when a woman is pregnant to when the child clocks two years.
President of Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Professor Wasiu Afolabi noted that despite the human and natural resources in Nigeria, without human capital development every other development will end up being destroyed, if nutrition is not prioritized.
Head of Nutrition and Food Security, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Rasaq Oyeleke said that 50% of deaths in Nigeria is related to malnutrition, and called on government to look at how to improve nutrition, by improving the food systems if the nation wants to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
Dr. Oyeleke emphasized that consuming food does not translate to improved nutrition, adding that to promote healthy diet there is need for government to take such steps like reformation of foods and drinks , food products to contain less sugar, salt, and fats.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning , represented by Lanre Adekanye who declared the meeting open, noted that adequate nutrition is the bedrock of child survival, health, and development.
People with adequate nutrition are more productive and can create opportunities to gradually break the cycle of poverty and hunger in the nation, he stressed.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Nutrition, Office of the Vice President, Dr. Abimbola Adesanmi said that the objective of the Media Executive Meeting on Nutrition was to address and also create awareness on malnutrition in Nigeria.
The Media is key in raising this awareness on the citizenry, so they can hold politicians accountable on their campaign promises on plans for Nutrition for the populac, Adesanmi said.
