Kelvin Bowoto
Malnutrition has a huge impact on Nigeria’s economic output, so politicians should prioritize investment in nutrition.
The consequences of stunting on adult productivity are predicted to cost Nigeria around 11% of its GDP.
Stakeholders argue that tackling the country’s malnutrition problem is critical for increasing children’s well-being and supporting long-term economic development.
Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, Director and Head of the Nutrition Department at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, stated that intentional investment in comprehensive nutrition programs in Nigeria has the potential to save up to $22 million in healthcare treatment expenses associated with child malnutrition.
She stated that investing in nutrition can save over 10 million cases of childhood diarrhea and pneumonia, as well as around 220,000 child fatalities in the country each year, making a significant contribution to lowering overall under-5 child mortality rates.
Mrs. Bako-Aiyegbusi stated this at a one-day breakfast meeting on the legislators’ role in strengthening Nigeria’s nutrition landscape, which was recently held in Abuja by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Senate President on Diaspora and Non-governmental Organizations in collaboration with Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN). She also added that it will reduce families’ out-of-pocket treatment costs.
According to the National Policy on Food and Nutrition, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is responsible for improving and maintaining the nation’s nutritional status as well as combating nutrient deficiencies, particularly micronutrient deficiencies, stunting, wasting, underweight, and overweight.
According to her, the ministry is implementing several nutrition intervention policies in partnership with key stakeholders.
Despite recent progress, she stated that “Nigeria still faces the triple burden of malnutrition: undernutrition, overweight, and micronutrient deficiencies remain a major health and development issue in the country.”
“Malnutrition is an underlying cause of nearly half of all under-five child deaths in Nigeria because undernourished children are more likely to die from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea, measles, pneumonia, malaria, or HIV/AIDS, as well as chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.”
“Nigeria has the second-highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 37 percent.”
Mrs. Bako-Aiyegbusi has urged lawmakers to ensure pro-nutrition budgetary allocation to key ministries and departments in charge of delivering nutrition-specific and sensitive programs by ensuring the timely release of adequate funds, monitoring expenditures, and ensuring monies are properly expended.
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On supervision, she stated that parliamentarians should commit to holding a full-fledged annual debate on the state of nutrition in their federal constituency.
“As federal legislation, institutionalize data collection and interpretation mechanisms as an inclusive and transparent process for planning,” she went on to say.
The chairman of the steering committee, CS-SUNN, Sodangi Chindo Adam, emphasized the need for immediate action to save the lives of the country’s teeming pregnant population and teenage girls during his welcome remarks at the meeting.
“It is therefore vital to take advantage of the child nutrition funds, a matching fund platform supplied by UNICEF to boost nutrition financing among the 36 states of the federation, which many state governments have yet to utilize.
“The purpose of this partnership today is to inform you, distinguished senators and honorable members, of the existence of counterpart financing and to propose that you prioritize maternal health through constituency supervision of PHCs, leveraging your political network, influence, and goodwill.
“We are here to leverage our legislators’ capacity and influence to play a critical role in improving the nutrition of women in their constituencies, and most importantly, to get their buy-in and commitments to prioritize nutrition, especially in the provision of multiple micronutrient supplements in their constituencies, and advocate for leveraging the Child Nutrition Fund to further boost the availability of nutrition commodities in Primary Health Care Centers across the country.
Dr. Jibril Lawal Tafida, special adviser to the Senate President on Diaspora and Non-governmental Organizations, stated that legislators bear a significant amount of responsibility because of the enormous power and influence they wield in providing legislative frameworks for actions that will benefit every aspect of citizens’ lives, including their access to nutritious food.
He stated, “To fulfill its legislative role in this regard, the legislature must take advantage of the enormous research endeavors in plant genetics, artificial intelligence, and other global trends in agriculture, all of which can promote access to innovations in high-nutritional foods for children and other citizens.
“In this regard, legislative frameworks in genetically modified foods may be desirable in a way that does not expose citizens to hazardous scientific innovations.”
Dr. Jibril stated that the legislative branch of government must supplement the executive branch by creating the required enabling environment for the establishment of safe and nutritious food habits throughout the country.
He stated that the legislature must pass legislation to protect children from hazardous nutritional practices and to ensure their access to the nutritional diets necessary for their physical, mental, and psychological development.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
