By Sani Gazas Chinade, Damaturu
HOTPEN – United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said 1.74 million children are malnourished in the North East region part of Nigeria.
It said six local government areas of Machina, Yusufari, Nguru, Bade, Bursari and Geidam, all at the northern fringes of Yobe State fell under a critical level of Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) of September to December 2021 and acute malnutrition analysis among children.
UNICEF in an document obtained by our reporter said based on the ICP’s analysis from September 2021 to August 2021, a total of 1.74 million children aged 6-59 months are acutely malnourished in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states alone and out of the number, 614,000 are severely malnourished while 1,129,000 are moderately malnourished.
The extract issued by the communication officer in charge of its Maiduguri head office, Folashade Adebayo, equally shows that all the 11 remaining local government areas of Yobe State are in serious phase with none scaling to the alert or acceptable level of malnutrition rate analysis among the children.
The analysis in the three states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa said, “High levels of acute malnutrition are prevalent in many areas between September and December 2021, with over 60% of areas analysed being in IPC AMN Phase 3 (Serious) or 4 (Critical).
“Over 1.74 million children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition through August 2022. This includes nearly 614,000 children severely malnourished and over one million moderately malnourished. In addition, over 151,000 pregnant and lactating women will likely be acutely malnourished,” it projected.
The report attributed the key drivers to the situation to inadequate food consumption, low accessibility to quality health services and insecurity and conflict in the three states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
“Inadequate quality and quantity of food intake, food insecurity due to poor access to land and livelihoods in some areas, and poor infant and young child feeding, particularly low levels of exclusive breastfeeding (IYCF) practices, prevents children from getting the minimum adequate food needed for physical growth.”
A nutrition expert in Damaturu, Ahmad Ma’aji Bizi while commenting on the issue said the major problem with malnutrition especially among children and pregnant women in Yobe state is not all about lack of appropriate food but lack of knowledge of maximising the usage of the available foods.
Bizi said, “Most food that can prevent our people especially children, pregnant and lactating mothers from the scourge of malnutrition are available within the community but lack knowledge on how to use them for a healthy society.
“We have foods that produce protein, carbohydrates, fat and oil, minerals, vitamins and water in most parts of the state but ignorance on appropriate usage especially in the rural areas has been the problem.”
He advised the government to consider a special budgetary provision for malnutrition in addition to massive sensitisation across the state especially to stakeholders as well as motivate malnutrition volunteers for effective tracking and wider coverage.