UNICEF raises alarm of children in Bauchi at risk of dying from acute malnutrition

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised an alarm that innocent children under five years in Bauchi State are suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and are at the verge of dying unless urgent steps are taken by government to avert calamity.

UNICEF has therefore taken the campaign about child welfare funding to the Legislative arm of government for the action required to correct the situation.

Chief of Field Office (CFO), Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF, Dr Nuzhat Rafique spoke during an advocacy meeting organised by the State Committee on Food and Nutrition, Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in Jos on Wednesday.

Rafique, while speaking at the meeting stated that available data showed the state had the highest burden of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in the Field Office.

According to her, the situation had worsened the rate of children with stunting and wasting but the commitment from the government seems to be elusive since it is yet to release counterpart funds for the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF)

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She said that, “I would like to share with you the CNF – the Child Nutrition Fund. Globally, it’s such a major issue that women have collected together to make a Child Nutrition Fund. It has ever since been practiced in many countries. Nigeria will be one of those countries.

“If you put 100 million, is it magic? You will have 200 million. We work on all the conventions, rules, and super-conventions of the children. To have such a society, such a community, there is no time to go into malnutrition,” she said.

She added, “So, there is prevention, there is cure, and the children who are already affected so much by malnutrition, can be rehabilitated. So this is very sensitive and very important. And I would like you people (lawmakers) to feel from the heart.”

Worried about the situation, Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Abubakar Y Suleiman ordered the immediate formulation of a joint committee that will comprise the Ministry of Local Government, the 20 Council Chairpersons and the House Committee on Local Government for effective monitoring of nutrition situation in the state.

He also expressed worry over the alarming rate of malnourished children in the state declaring the need for emergency on the situation.

Suleiman stressed that the malnutrition situation in the state called for urgent action, as many of the children need to be rescued.

By: Yemi Kanji

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