By Nasir Shuaibu, Bauchi
The Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria, CS-SUNN, has called on Local Government Areas, LGAs, in Bauchi State to prioritise domestic funding for nutrition programmes to sustain gains recorded in improving the health and wellbeing of women and children.
The appeal was made by the State Chairperson of CS-SUNN, Dabis Mwalike, during a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Bauchi State chapter, and a stakeholders’ advocacy meeting held at the Bauchi Local Government Secretariat on Monday.
Mwalike said although development partners had supported nutrition interventions in the state through capacity building, technical assistance, and funding over the years, local governments must now assume greater responsibility by providing adequate financial support for nutrition programmes.
She noted that nutrition governance in Bauchi State had improved significantly over the past decade through collaboration between government and development partners, warning that the achievements could be reversed if domestic financing was not strengthened.
According to her, every local government should establish dedicated budget lines for nutrition and ensure that approved funds are released promptly for implementation.
She stressed that including nutrition in annual budgets alone was not enough unless the allocated funds were released and utilised for their intended purposes.
Mwalike also advocated regular nutrition coordination meetings at both the state and local government levels to strengthen planning, monitoring, and accountability.
She expressed concern over the persistent burden of malnutrition among women and children, describing it as a major public health challenge that requires sustained government commitment and increased investment.
She added that CS-SUNN would continue to monitor nutrition budget performance across the local governments, including allocations, releases, and utilisation of funds, to promote transparency and accountability.
Responding on behalf of the ALGON Chairman, the Director of Primary Health Care Development, Bauchi Local Government, Sulaiman Abdu Kirfi, appreciated the advocacy team for the visit and reaffirmed the commitment of local governments to supporting programmes aimed at improving the nutritional status of women and children.
Kirfi underscored the importance of regular meetings of the Local Government Committee on Food and Nutrition, describing the platform as critical for coordinating nutrition interventions across sectors.
He appealed to development partners to continue supporting the committee’s quarterly meetings, while encouraging local government councils to gradually take over the responsibility of funding the meetings to ensure sustainability.
He also urged heads of departments and nutrition focal persons to work closely with local government chairmen to secure the timely release of budgeted funds for nutrition activities.
