FG moves to tackle malnutrition

…Inaugurates special national food, nutrition media team

From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

The Federal Government, yesterday, inaugurated a Special National Food and Nutrition Media Team in Abuja, with the aim of improving nutrition in the country.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said nutrition is a key component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Mohammed also said the improvement in the nutrition status was foundational to global development since it is a critical part of health and development.

Mohammed who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Culture, Jafiya Lydia Shehu, added that a critical tenet of attaining the SDGs was to make meaningful progress in nutrition.

“For this reason, it is imperative to tackle malnutrition because winning the fight against it will have far-reaching consequences on the improvement of the general health of the people, and a great stride towards ending poverty in our country.

“According to UNICEF, malnutrition is the direct or underlying cause of 45 percent of all deaths of under-five children. We must note that Nigeria is ranked number one in Africa, and number two globally in terms of the number of malnourished children, with an estimated 14.7 million children under the age of five years predicted to suffer this year from wasting, a condition from moderate and severe to acute malnutrition. Malnutrition threatens the survival, growth and development of millions of our children.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria has demonstrated commitment towards addressing malnutrition in the country, which led to the approval by the Federal Executive Council of the National Multi-sectoral Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition (NMPFAN), and the inclusion of nutrition in the National Development Plan. These are blueprint to guide and enhance nutrition security both at national and sub-national levels,” Mohammed said.

Mohammed further said it was instructive to note that despite the enormous resources spent by the government on nutrition interventions, the average annual rate of reduction for stunting is only 1.4 percent per year in the country.

“This calls for urgent actions to strengthen current efforts by all stakeholders, to complement government’s activities and reverse the trend in this regard. Permit me to also observe that the efforts to change this narrative about the nutrition situation in Nigeria, and place nutrition in the front-burner has extended to the implementation of several interventions by the government in conjunction with various stakeholders, including development partners, Civil Society Organizations, Academia, Non-Government Organizations, Private sector, Community Based and Faith Based Organizations. It is in recognition of this fact that the government has extended its arms of collaboration to the media, and this is the reason for our gathering here today,” Mohammed also said.

Mohammed added that the inauguration of the Special National Food and Nutrition Media Team is novel and a major step in the consolidation of the contributions of journalists in driving the success of nutrition programs and interventions in Nigeria.

“The media, the fourth estate of the realm, and the watchdog of the society has a huge and indispensable role to play in achieving the goals of the National Multi-sectoral Plan of Action for food and Nutrition.

“In addition, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, as a key stakeholder in the multi-sectoral partnership to address malnutrition, recognises the slow result outcomes on nutrition investment in the country with the observed gaps especially in areas of monitoring, evaluation and accountability to stakeholders. This is another essential reason for setting up this National Media Team, to harness the power of the watchdog to spread the word on nutrition and increase the outcomes thereof,” Mohammed further said.

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Nutrition, Mrs. Abimbola Adesanmi, said the Federal Government, and in particular, the National Council on Nutrition (NCN), recognised that nutrition is a crucial pillar in the development of a healthy and productive nation.

Adesanmi who was represented by NCN Communications Expert, Emmanuel Ohiomokhare, also said that this has been demonstrated by the current actions around the approval of the five year National Multisectoral Plan of Action, the inclusion of a Chapter on Food and Nutrition in the National Development Plan 2021-2025 and the approval of the establishment of Nutrition Departments across key MDAs.

“The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture as a member of the NCN is aligned to the position of the council that, “no one sector can reduce malnutrition on its own, and a coordinated approach across sectors is needed for a greater impact and to ensure efficient and targeted use of limited fiscal resources.” We must all recognize that to achieve our national nutrition outcomes, all stakeholders should be committed to 100 percent implementation of NMPFAN priorities.

“The Inauguration of the media team to a welcome development at this time as it ensures an effective coordination of the media activities as covered in the plan and ultimately helps in the reduction of the Morbidity and Mortality associated with Malnutrition,” Adesanmi said.