Nasarawa to Establish Nutrition Departments in MDAs

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

Nasarawa State government said it has commenced plans to establish nutrition departments in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the state.

The Head of Civil Service of the state, Mrs. Abigail Waya, gave the indication during an advocacy meeting organised by Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) on the creation of nutrition department in MDAs held in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.

Waya remarked that to ensure effective service delivery, all the nutrition line ministries and agencies in the state had been repositioned with the required experts in the management of malnutrition.

The chairman of Nasarawa State Committee on Nutrition, Mr. Emmanuel Alidzi, while addressing the gathering, said cases of malnutrition in the state had continued to be on the rise which according to him, “needed proactive approach to stem the tide.”

Alidzi called on the stakeholders to step up awareness campaigns to the grassroot on the need for people to adopt new lifestyle towards consumption of the appreciate classes of food.

The Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Janet Anbazo, stressed the need for more funding for nutrition programmes, given the devastating effects of the condition on the economic growth and human development.

The Programme Manager of the Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria, Dr. Goodness Chidi, pointed out that cases of stunted growth, wasting and other conditions related to malnutrition, especially in children, had been on the rise in most communities in Nasarawa State.

Dr. Chidi, therfore, identified poverty and lack of awareness as some of the major causes of malnutrition.

The meeting, which was organised by the CS-SUNN, brought together Permanent Secretaries and Heads of relevant agencies in Nasarawa State to brainstorm on ways to creating department of nutrition in the various ministries as part of efforts to addressing malnutrition.