ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE OF MALNUTRITION
The authorities should do more to combat poverty
Unless the government takes immediate steps to address hunger and malnutrition, especially in children and pregnant women, the poor indices on maternal and child mortality can only get worse. Last week, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that 36 per cent of pregnant women in Adamawa State suffer from anaemia. This is a condition that poses serious risks to both mothers and their babies. The picture of the child nutrition painted by Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of Field Office at UNICEF Bauchi, is even more concerning: 48.6 per cent of children are stunted, 7 per cent are wasted, and over 80 per cent experience child food poverty. But this is not a problem restricted to one state; it is a national challenge.
Indeed, most recent reports indicate that one out of every three Nigerian children under the age of five is suffering from chronic malnutrition. This implies a marked increase in susceptibility to infections and contributes to child mortality. Invariably, pregnant women who are not adequately nourished eventually give birth to babies with low weight thus putting their survival at risk. Today, Nigeria remains home to the highest number of stunted children in Africa and ranks third globally—with more than 10 million of such children. Nigeria is also one of the six countries that account for half of all child deaths worldwide, with one million children under five years dying annually. To break it down, every hour, 100 children under five years die of malnutrition in Nigeria, according to the UNICEF.
We commend the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for handing to the federal government the manual to produce supplementary food powder in a bid to tackle the challenge. The manual outlines the preparation and use of a nutritious supplementary food powder, known as Tom Brown. Rich in protein, it is made from locally available ingredients, simple to prepare at home and provides parents with an affordable and effective way to treat malnutrition in children under five. We hope health authorities in the country will make the manual available to important stakeholders.
The costs of disregarding childhood malnutrition in human and economic terms cannot be quantified. Indeed, available statistics reveal that malnutrition is a major underlying factor for child mortality in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the malaise has not received the kind of high-profile campaign and investment necessary to address it effectively—in comparison with other causes of child mortality. If concerted and deliberate action is not taken, more Nigerian children will be physically and mentally affected by malnutrition, in a country so blessed with arable land and natural resources.
It is disturbing that relevant authorities in Nigeria cannot address the causes of malnutrition that have continued to deprive over half of our children (and mothers) of a healthy and productive life span. The situation has been compounded by recent economic policies of the current administration that have further pauperised the people. Meanwhile, hunger is both a cause and consequence of malnutrition, as people on low income tend to have worse diets, while people who lack adequate nutrition struggle harder to extricate themselves from poverty.
The government, at practically all levels, needs to sit up and confront this challenge with decisiveness to secure the future of our children. Political commitment is necessary to ensure advocacy on the adverse implications of malnutrition and how to avoid its devastating consequences. Partnership with civil society and academic institutions with a focus on food and nutrition is also an imperative. But such political commitment is best demonstrated by a tangible increase in resource allocation, with the relevant ministries and agencies committing to establish a road map and coordinated mechanisms for implementing activities for up-scaling nutrition in the public sphere.
