Federal Government Confirms Over Four Million Children Malnourished in Northeast, Northwest Nigeria

The Federal Government has confirmed that more than four million children in Nigeria's Northeast and Northwest regions are suffering from malnutrition, a growing crisis that poses serious health and socio-economic challenges.

This was disclosed by Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyebusi, Director of the Nutrition Department at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, during a five-day strategic meeting in Keffi, Nasarawa State. The gathering, which began on Tuesday, is being organized in partnership with the Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) and other nutrition-focused organizations, aiming to address the severe nutrition issues in the country.

In her opening remarks on Wednesday, Bako-Aiyebusi highlighted the dire state of malnutrition in Nigeria, citing the 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey, which shows that nearly 4.4 million children in the Northeast and Northwest are affected by malnutrition.

“Nigeria is currently grappling with a severe crisis of the triple burden of malnutrition, which includes widespread macro and micronutrient deficiency, undernutrition, and overnutrition. These have significant impacts on both health and socio-economic development,” Bako-Aiyebusi stated.

She pointed out the key causes of malnutrition in these regions, which include inadequate access to food, poor food consumption, improper feeding and care practices, economic and political instability, low economic status, poor health-seeking behaviors, and a lack of education among the populace.

The ongoing meeting, which involves nutrition experts, academia, civil society organizations (CSOs), and other stakeholders, is expected to provide vital policy directions for tackling nutrition-related challenges in Nigeria. The discussions aim to create a cohesive strategy for addressing malnutrition and improving the overall health outcomes of the nation’s most vulnerable populations.

The meeting will conclude on Saturday, with recommendations and strategies expected to be developed for more effective interventions to combat the rising malnutrition crisis.