By Chioma Umeha
Nigeria needs N 2.87 trillion, an equivalent of
$912 million to tackle the scourge of child malnutrition which is presently
ravaging the country.
Dr. Chris Osa Isokpunwu of the Federal Ministry of
Health, Abuja, disclosed this at a two-day Media Dialogue on “Leveraging
Resources for Child Malnutrition in Nigeria” held on Thursday and Friday, April
28 and 29, 2017, in Enugu.
Dr. Isokpunwu, who spoke on “Scaling Up Nutrition
in Nigeria: What Will It Cost?”, described child malnutrition as a major
challenge in the country. He lamented that there are currently about 2.5
million severely malnourished children in the country.
The medical expert quoted Federal Ministry of
Health figures as showing that not less than $912 million is required to tackle
child malnutrition in the country over the next five years if the problem is
not to get worse.
Painting a graphic picture of the crisis, he
pointed out that the national budget provided only N2.4 million for child
nutrition in 2016, while nothing was provided in the 2015 budget and N30
million was provided in 2014 but was not released. Dr. Isokpunwu noted that the
budget for child nutrition was created for the first time in Nigeria in 2014,
describing child malnutrition as “a silent killer which has to be stopped” in
view of its devastating consequences.
In her paper entitled “Child Nutrition Situation
in South-East and South-South Zones of Nigeria”, Ngozi Onuora, Nutrition
Specialist at the Port Harcourt office of the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF), lamented that every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300
under-five-year-olds and 145 women of childbearing age as a result of
malnutrition. This, she said, makes the country the second largest contributor
to the under-five and maternal mortality rate in the world.
According to Onuora, there are multiple dimensions
of child malnutrition which can co-exist in individuals, households and
populations, including stunting, wasting, micronutrients deficiencies,
overweight and obesity. “These are all manifestation of under-nutrition,” she
said.
Statistics provided at the Media Dialogue by
nutrition experts showed that malnutrition, though a national problem, is much
worse in the North. The statistics showed that the total number of children
affected by malnutrition in the South-East in 2016 was 34,889 while 6,700
deaths were recorded. In the South-South, 86,304 children were affected, out of
which 16,700 died, while the South-West had 84,417 cases and 16,300 deaths;
North-West 1,594,462 cases and 308,000 deaths; North-Central 43,635 cases with
8,400 deaths; and North-East 695,998 cases and 134,000 deaths.
Malnutrition not only contributes to close to 50
percent of deaths in children under five, but also results in a massive cost
for the nation. Nigeria loses over $1.5 billion in GDP annually to vitamin and
mineral deficiencies, according to the World Bank.
The Media Dialogue attracted print, electronic and
online journalists from Enugu, Lagos and Abuja. Moderated by Geoffrey Njoku,
UNICEF Communication Specialist, and Mrs. Ibiba H. Bello, Head, Child Rights
Information Bureau, Federal Ministry of Information, Abuja, the event featured
a broad spectrum of experts who explored various relevant themes. They included
Dr. Bamidele Omotola, Nutrition Specialist at UNICEF Abuja; Dr. Ken Ozoemena,
Social Policy Specialist, UNICEF Enugu Office; and Onche Odeh, a Communication
Consultant.
