A Non Governmental Organization, Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria, CS-SUNN, has advocated for deduction of 1% of the annual budget of states and local government councils for social protection programmes and nutrition in particular.
The association in a statement urged states through the State Assemblies to explore the possibility of getting 1% of LG funds deducted at source to fund Nutrition Activities at the local government levels.
The call was contained in a Communique issued at the end of a legislative retreat on adequate funding for health and nutrition for focal states of Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Niger and Lagos held in Uyo last weekend.
The Communique endorsed by Chairman, Mr Nehemiah Tsentse of Nasarawa state and representatives of the other four states resolved that the challenges of ensuring early budget releases should be tabled through the Nutrition Unit of the Nigerian Governors Forum to the state governors in forum.
It said that the same presentation and outcome from the NGF should also be tabled before the National Economic Council and the Conference of Speakers through the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly.
The meeting observed that nutrition budget and funding remained inadequate in all the focal states and called for strengthening of SCFN to ensure proper coordination of nutrition activities and good planning.
“Husbands also have a critical role to play in supporting their breastfeeding wives while there is need for Nigeria to consider setting up a company to produce RUTF given the huge investment made in the last five years for the purchase of the commodity.” It said.
The purpose of the retreat attended by 56 participants and chaired by the Speaker of the Niger State Assembly included amongst others to promote understanding of current nutrition situation in Nigeria and the need for prompt action and ascertain the level of nutrition investment and performance in states.
It was also to secure the committment of state Assembly members to commit to improved domestic investment in high impact, low cost interventions as captured in the state specific plans of actions in the 2020 annual budgets and enlist key lawmakers as champions for timely releases of allocated funds.
The two day retreat was organised by CS-SUNN in collaboration with Save the Children,SCI, Alive and Thrive, A&T, for Chairmen of key Committees of State Assemblies, relevant policymakers and key state officials to interact on how best nutrition funding challenges could be addressed and extract commitment for timely releases of allocated funds in the 2020 budget and adequate provision in the 2021 budget.
