In its efforts to improve healthcare for infants and children in Adamawa State, Governor Ahamadu Umar Fintiri has received 4,290 cartons of lipid-based nutritional supplements from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Commissioner of Health and Human Resources, Felix Tangwami, who received the items on behalf of the state government, thanked UNICEF and other donors for their efforts in helping the state and its children.
Noting that the high level of malnutrition in the state was a consequence of the insecurity caused by the Boko Haram attacks, which resulted in the inability of farmers to access their farmland and provide nutritious food for their children, Tangwami thanked the governor for always being there for the people of the state and added that the government has made serious investments in the social service sector, especially the health sector, for the benefit of the teeming populace.
The commissioner added that last year the government provided a N100m matching fund for the food supplement and has also provided another N300m this year as a matching fund to get the supplement for the children.
He assured the donors that the supplements would reach every nook and cranny of the state so that all children would benefit from the initiative.
Earlier, the head of the Bauchi field office of UNICEF, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, who handed over the 4,290 cartons of Small Quantity lipid-based nutritional supplements (SQ-LNS) to the state government, said about 85,000 children in Adamawa State would be saved from malnutrition and other related scourges.
She said the SQ-LNS was procured through the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) mechanism, supported by a generous mix of donors, including the Government of the United Kingdom, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other partners.
The CNF is managed by UNICEF. The CNF is a unique match funding instrument in which UNICEF and its partners match government financing of essential nutrition commodities in a ratio of 1:1, allowing governments to double their investment in essential nutrition commodities to accelerate the scale-up of policies and programmes for the prevention, early detection, and treatment of malnutrition.
Dr Nuzhat Rafique thanked the Adamawa State government for its unwavering commitment to the welfare of the children by always availing its matching fund to ensure the availability of the SQ-LNS for the benefit of the children.
“Adamawa State has often demonstrated exemplary leadership in the areas of nutrition and health through consistent fund releases, service delivery, and a strong enabling environment.
“Adamawa State was one of the early adopters of the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) in Nigeria. The state released 100 million naira in 2023. This was matched by the same amount by UNICEF.
“Malnutrition in children remains a concern in Nigeria, noting that 48.6% of Adamawa’s children are stunted, 7% are wasted, and 36% of pregnant women are anaemic. Over 80% of the children in the state suffer from child food poverty and lack access to a diverse diet to support growth and development.
“We urge the government to continue investing even more resources in 2025, which UNICEF will also match to procure more commodities through the CNF.
“We encourage the government to conduct two rounds of MNCHWs in 2025 and procure deworming tablets in sufficient quantities to reach all children aged 12-59 months in the state. Approve six months paid parental leave in the state to protect infant health and nutrition and support exclusive breastfeeding.
“UNICEF will continue to partner with the state and work across key sectors to improve nutrition and health outcomes for children and women in Adamawa State,” Rafique assured the state government.
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