The Bauchi State chapter of the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has advocated for the release of matching funds by the State Government to enable access to the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) in the fight against malnutrition.
The advocacy was made during a quarterly review meeting on the nutrition situation in Bauchi State, organized by the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other relevant stakeholders.
During the meeting, nutrition was described as a critical aspect of health and development, as it continues to be one of the world’s most pressing health and human development challenges, causing high-burden nations to lose approximately 2-3 percent of their GDP.
In a presentation titled “Strengthening Child Nutrition in Bauchi State: The Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) and 6 Paid Maternity Leave – A Unique Opportunity,” it was further observed that malnutrition threatens countries’ achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Presenting at the meeting, Dabis Mwalike, the Bauchi State Secretary of CS-SUNN, stated that malnutrition is a critical public health concern in Nigeria, as investing in nutrition significantly enhances positive outcomes for maternal and child health, cognitive function and educability, human capital, economic grow//th, and poverty reduction.
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She stressed that “Nutrition is the assimilation by living organisms of food materials that enable them to grow, maintain themselves, and reproduce. It is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life.”
She further explained that nutrition is the study of nutrients in food, how the body uses them, and the relationship between diet, health, and disease. Malnutrition, on the other hand, refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalances of essential nutrients, or impaired nutrient utilization.
According to her, the double burden of malnutrition consists of both undernutrition and overweight or obesity, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Undernutrition manifests in the forms of stunting (low height for age), underweight (low weight for age), micronutrient deficiencies, and wasting (low weight for height), while overweight and obesity reflect high weight for age.
The national prevalence indicates that 36% of children born in the past two years are put to the breast within one hour of birth, 29% of infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed, while only 12% of children aged 6-23 months are fed with a minimum dietary diversity.
Further in the presentation, Dabis Mwalike explained that the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) is a catalytic financing match mechanism that enables national governments to double their investment in essential nutrition commodities for the prevention and treatment of children suffering from wasting (low weight for height).
The initiative, launched in 2020, initially focused on procuring Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods to treat children affected by wasting. In 2022, its vision expanded to include other preventive nutrition commodities to enable early prevention, detection, and treatment of wasting in children.
According to her, in 2021, Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, benefited from $1,063,943 for the procurement of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods.
The call to action includes mobilizing resources for nutrition in 2025/26, ensuring the timely release of allocated funding, and making adequate provisions for nutrition in the 2026 budget based on evidence and planning. It also emphasizes mobilizing partners, philanthropists, and corporate organizations to support and align with the nutrition plan.
Implementing this call to action will demonstrate the government’s commitment to the well-being of its citizens and the future of its children, as good nutrition is key to the economic growth of the state.
The Commissioner of Budget, Economic Planning, and Multilateral Coordination, Amina Mohammed Katagum, assured that the State Government is committed to ensuring adequate budgetary allocation for food and nutrition to promote a healthy society.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Yusuf Jibrin, the Commissioner commended the meeting, describing it as crucial to implementing the decisions agreed upon during the previous quarterly meeting.
The Commissioner lamented that the nutrition situation in Bauchi State remains concerning, as it negatively impacts the people, particularly women and children under five. She noted that hunger among the state’s residents requires urgent attention from the Ministry of Agriculture to enhance food security and availability.
The Commissioner assured that the Ministry is making every effort to address food security in line with the directives from the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning on establishing food security and nutrition committees at the local government level.
The Commissioners of Education, Health, and Agriculture, represented at the meeting, all agreed on the urgent need to set machinery in motion to combat malnutrition through a multisectoral approach and collaboration.
Earlier, CS-SUNN State Coordinator, Maureen Jibrin, emphasized the need for immediate action to save the lives of malnourished children in Bauchi State, lamenting the increasingly alarming situation.
She assured that CS-SUNN is fully prepared to join efforts in fighting severe acute malnutrition among children under five across the state, urging the government to promptly release matching funds to access the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF).
