Kogi set to fight malnutrition with N12.6bn

Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello

The Kogi State Government has restated her determination to eliminate malnutrition from society with the sum of N12.6 billion.

The State Commissioner of Health, Dr Saka Audu Haruna, stated this during the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the African Youth Growth Foundation in Lokoja with a view to eliminating the effects of malnutrition in the state.

Dr Saka Haruna said the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has sourced about N12.6 billion to fight malnutrition in the state, adding that Nigeria is among the country with the highest cases of malnutrition in the world.

He pointed out that all hands must, therefore, be on the deck to win the fight against malnutrition not just in the state but Nigeria as a whole while congratulating the AYGF for winning the project to provide nutritional services for mothers and children in the state.

The Commissioner promised to monitor every step of the implementation to achieve the needed results and charged the AYGF to do more in achieving the desired results.

Responding, the Executive Director of Africa Youth Growth Foundation, Dr Arome Salifu, commended the State Government for the gesture, saying AYGF is an organisation that is more involved in community development or services.

He promised to give their best under the ANRiN project by touching every nook and cranny of the state to reduce the challenges faced by malnutrition.

Salifu said they are deploying all strategies including reaching out to areas by using innovative transportation, local languages, traditional rulers and religious bodies to reach the targets population.

In his remarks, Kogi State ANRiN Project Coordinator, Mr Bola Ogundusi, appreciated the effort of the state government for providing the necessary purposeful leadership to fund and address the issues of malnutrition by improving the health challenges of mothers and children in the State.

Mr Ogundusi explained that the state government spent N50m every year to address nutritional issues and also appreciated the World Bank for partnering with Kogi State in curbing malnutrition and making the resources available to execute some nutritional project.

He advised AYGF to used all the available resources to carry out the assignment in the state, noting that at the end of 2023 they must be able to provide excellent nutrition services to mothers and children in the targeted 10 Local Government Areas of the state.