By Nasir Shuaibu, Bauchi
The Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has called on the chairmen of Bauchi, Dass and Alkaleri Local Government Areas to establish dedicated budget lines and ensure regular funding for nutrition programmes to tackle malnutrition and reduce child stunting.
The appeal was made by the organisation’s Senior Programme Officer, Kunle Ishola, during an advocacy visit to the three councils in Bauchi on Wednesday.
Ishola described the 46 per cent child stunting rate in Alkaleri Local Government Area as alarming, stressing the need for increased investment in nutrition interventions to reverse the trend.
He said the advocacy was aimed at strengthening nutrition coordination at the local government level, creating dedicated budget lines across relevant departments and ensuring the timely release of funds for nutrition activities.
According to him, while nutrition financing has improved at the state level in recent years, local governments have yet to receive the attention required to sustain grassroots interventions.
He commended the three councils for convening their first quarterly meetings of the Local Government Committee on Food and Nutrition, in line with resolutions reached during the April training for local government nutrition stakeholders.
Also speaking, CS-SUNN State Chairperson, Dabis Mwalike, urged the councils to institutionalised nutrition funding through dedicated budget lines to improve coordination and effective implementation of nutrition programmes.
She explained that the advocacy visit also sought to review progress and strengthen collaboration between CS-SUNN and the Local Government Committees on Food and Nutrition.
Responding on behalf of the Chairman of Bauchi Local Government Council, Deputy Chairman Mahmood Babamaji reaffirmed the council’s commitment to supporting nutrition initiatives.
He acknowledged the efforts of the Bauchi State Government and local councils, particularly the distribution of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), noting that the intervention had contributed to reducing severe acute malnutrition cases.
The Director of Primary Health Care, Sulaiman Abdu Kirfi, disclosed that nutrition had been integrated into the council’s 2026 and 2027 planning and budgeting processes.
He said the Budget and Planning Department worked with relevant departments to ensure nutrition activities were reflected in their annual budgets, adding that improving nutrition required a multi-sectoral approach.
Kirfi also stressed the importance of regular meetings of the Local Government Committee on Food and Nutrition in coordinating interventions across sectors.
In Dass Local Government Area, the Director of Budget disclosed that the council had earmarked ₦150 million for nutrition activities in its 2027 budget to strengthen nutrition interventions.
In Alkaleri Local Government Area, the council chairman, represented by the Director of Administration, thanked the CS-SUNN delegation for the advocacy visit and pledged continued support for nutrition programmes.
The Director of Primary Health Care in the council, however, raised concern over the shortage of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), saying supplies received from the state government had been exhausted, leaving health facilities without the commodity for treating malnourished children and supporting pregnant and lactating women.
