From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
The Borno State government has announced plans to enact a law criminalising diversion or theft of nutritional foods given to the state by international donors to support children against malnutrition. The move follows an alarm raised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on increasing diversions of life-saving foods meant for thousands of malnourished children and those at risk of malnutrition due to protracted violence in the state.
The chairman, Borno State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Hon. Maina Mustapha, announced the plan on Friday, when UNICEF officials visited the House to discuss collaboration on tackling malnutrition and implementation of Federal Government N-774 programme.
“We will criminalise the issue of selling out, taking or theft of nutrition products that are being supplied by donor partners,” the chairman announced at the meeting.
He faulted claims that poverty drives officials, individuals and groups to divert food items meant for members of the public. He warned those involved to desist from the act as the legislature will soon commence the process of enacting a law to deal with perpetrators.
UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, Joseph Senesie noted that the N-774 initiative designed to protect the rights of theNigerian child, will help children in rural areas access good nutrition.
He explained that the N-774 programme launched by the federal government aims to address malnutrition and ensure nutritional foods get down to all the 774 local government areas in the country.
The UNICEF chief had warned early in the week that the alarming rate of diversion, theft and misuse of nutritional foods could have grave consequences on the survival of millions of children especially in the rural areas in Northeast states affected by years of insurgency.