From Nasir Shuaibu, BAUCHI
The Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has described the 46 per cent stunting rate among children in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State as alarming, calling for urgent investment in nutrition programmes.
the Program is being sponsored by Partnership for Improving Nigeria Nutrition Systems PINNS 3.0 project.
Speaking during an advocacy visit to Alkaleri LGA Wednesday in Bauchi, CS-SUNN Senior Programme Officer, Kunle Ishola, said the figure means that nearly one out of every two children in Alkaleri suffers from stunted growth due to chronic malnutrition.
According to him, the advocacy aimed to strengthen coordination, encourage the creation of dedicated budget lines for nutrition across all relevant departments, and ensure the timely release of funds. He noted that, over the years, attention had been focused mainly on the state government.
He commended the local government for holding its first quarterly Local Government Committee on Food and Nutrition coordination meeting, as agreed during the training for local government nutrition stakeholders held in this year.
Ishola urged local government authorities to increase funding for nutrition interventions and establish dedicated budget lines to tackle the growing burden of malnutrition.
CS-SUNN State Chairperson, Dabis Mwalike, said stronger collaboration between local governments and nutrition stakeholders was essential to improve maternal and child nutrition across the state.
She urged the Council to create the budget line, timely release and utilisation of the fund if approved with a view to strengthen the nutrition activities in the LGA.
The Director Administration, Umar Mohammed who received the delegation onbehalf of the Chairman, ensure support to the project to achieve it’s desire goals and objectives.
While appreciating government interventions, the PHC in Alkaleri expressed concern over the shortage of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), revealing that supplies received from the state government had already been exhausted.
The advocacy also recorded commitments from all director’s in Alkaleri local governments to strengthen nutrition planning and financing.
