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Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has approved N250million commitment fund to fight high prevalence of malnutrition, especially stunting among under-five children in the next five years across the 33 local government areas of the state under the World Bank Assisted project.
The Project Manager, Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRIN) in the state, Dr. Khadijah Alarape, who disclosed this during an interview with Daily Sun in Ibadan on the sideline of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, stated that the project would be executed through collaboration of the state, Federal Ministry of Health and the World Bank.
She stated that the five-year project, which is expected to take off by December, this year, would be carried out simultaneously in selected 12 states of the federation for the pilot states and each of the states had signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Ministry of Health and the World Bank for payment of N50million commitment fund per annum for five years, which would amount to N250million per state. The ANRIN Project would also be implemented in Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Nasarawa, Plateau, Abia and Akwa Ibom States.
Alarape, who noted that the project would be implemented under the Primary Healthcare Board of the Ministry of Health in the state, said two non-state actors would be engaged in the project, adding that a non-governmental organisation, Breakthrough Action-Nigeria (BA-N) has also keyed into the project and has been supporting with robust media engagement, in addition to the ones being provided by the World Bank.
According to her, “One of the challenges that made us to be qualified for the project, though it is a negative complication to say, because they look at the stunting rate and discovered that Oyo State and Lagos State had highest prevalent of stunting in the South West. Lagos State was included in the project initially but they opted out that probably they would be able to manage their stunting rate. But Oyo State did not opt out of the project and that is why we are still retained for the project. So, the criteria for selection was based on high prevalence of malnutrition, especially stunting rate.
“We have three indices for malnutrition, which are wasting, stunting, underweight. They specifically chose stunting which was high in Oyo State at the time of selection. Another criteria for selection was that they signed a memorandum of understanding with each state to contribute N50million per annum. Oyo State has been merciful with the project. They have graciously approved the release of the fund on an annual basis.
“As at the time of selection, Oyo State was put at 43 per cent, meaning almost half of the children were stunted. But based on the last survey that was carried out in Oyo State, the rate is dropping; but not too low for us to say we are working. We still need to work more because the rate was put at 38 per cent, which means a very small reduction in the prevalence. All the communities, all the health facilities, all the local government areas, and all relevant stakeholders in the state will be involved in the project. Hopefully, by the end of five years, we should be recording about 20 per cent maximum of stunting rate among the under-five children in Oyo State.”
Fielding questions on the causes of stunting for under-five children, Alarape stated that contributory factors could be attributed to how the child was fed from day one, and even during pregnancy, saying: “When the mother did not eat very well during pregnancy, malnutrition could start from there. This is why we have some children, after delivery, they would weigh less than 2.5kilogrammes. When a child weighs less than 2.5kilogrammes, that is an indication of inter-uterine growth retardation; the child’s growth is already retarded, and there is a possibility that if viscous circle will be sustained for such a child because that child is not well fed during pregnancy. There are some abnormalities that would have taken place in the physiological make up of such a child, if care is not taken.
“This is why when a child is delivered, we counsel our mothers; giving them enough education and our health workers too, that the child should be put to breast milk immediately within 30 minutes after birth. We discovered that breast milk is a live saver. Breast milk is the foundation for every child and breast milk has a lot of advantages in what you are, in what you are going to be in the future. The baby should be put to breast right in the labour room. The breastfeeding should be sustained until about six months after birth; no water no infant formula, no herbal concoction, no local food, and even no food supplement when the child is on exclusive breastfeeding for six months.”
