The increasing number of malnourished children in Nigerian will definitely hamper its socio-economic development. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 17 million Nigerian children are malnourished. The UN agency has also ranked Nigeria as the country with the highest prevalence of malnutrition in Africa and the second overall in the world. The malnutrition challenge must be urgently addressed before it is too late. The high level of malnourished children in the country is unacceptable considering the nation’s abundant wealth and material resources.
Interestingly, the Federal Government and Nutrition International have acknowledged the danger posed by this frightening health statistics. The major causes of malnutrition in Nigeria include poor infant and child feeding practices, poor access to and consumption of safe nutritious diet rich in macro and micronutrients, inadequate access to healthcare, water, and sanitation, and a high level of poverty, among others.
Good enough, the government has made concerted effort in collaboration with development partners to reduce the burden of malnutrition in the country. We believe that the school feeding programme can be used to boost nutrition of millions of Nigerian children. Other interventions by state governments can also be used to improve the nutrition of many vulnerable Nigerians.
No doubt, the food insecurity in the country has reduced the ability of millions of families to afford adequate nutrition. The situation has been worsened by the prevailing economic hardship caused by government’s faulty policies. At the same time, the government should frontally and quickly address the underlying causes of malnutrition in Nigeria. Let the government accelerate the pace of food production.
UNICEF has revealed that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life is the best moment to prevent undernutrition and its tragic consequences. Statistics showed that, out of the 17 million malnourished Nigerian children, an estimated 2 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Unfortunately, two out of every 10 children affected has been reached with treatment. This is unfair. The agency further said in its report that seven per cent of women of childbearing age also suffer from acute malnutrition.
The majority of Nigeria’s malnourished children are said to reside in the north. They are also most affected by stunted growth and wasting. The high concentration of these children in the north is an indictment on the state governments. We urge the Northern governors to wage a relentless war against malnutrition. Aside from posing significant public health challenges, malnutrition can hamper the development of the country. Malnutrition impacts on the cognitive abilities of children. Without adequate nutrition, children will perform poorly in school. Poor nutrition impairs cognitive development of schoolchildren and should be tackled with vigour.
John Hopkins University has stated that malnourished children may be short for their age, thin or bloated, listless and have weakened immune systems. Nutritional disorders, in addition, can affect any system in the body and the senses of sight, taste and smell. They may also produce anxiety, changes in mood and other psychiatric symptoms. We should not wish this for millions of Nigerian children.
The federal government and UNICEF should work together in the implementation of the National Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition. Nutrition and integrate it into the primary health care (PHC) system. Infant and young feeding should be prioritised. We are aware that UNICEF has been supporting Nigeria’s community-based programme for treatment of severe acute malnutrition since 2009 and has become one of the largest UNICEF-supported treatment programmes in the world. Despite this, it is a surprise that 17 million Nigerian children are still malnourished.
The ministry of health should do more by counselling mothers and caregivers on how to feed their children, and provide free micronutrient supplements to children and pregnant women. We call on the government to increase the health budget to effectively address malnutrition in Nigeria. The security lapses in the country that have contributed to the endless farmer-herder clashes should be urgently fixed. With many families displaced, feeding for their children has become a herculean task.
The federal government should check the security challenge ravaging some parts of the country. Malnourished children in the country deserve speedy attention to avoid the looming disaster. Let the government create innovative feeding programmes for vulnerable Nigerian children.