By Ruth Oketunde
Abuja – The Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), an NGO, says malnutrition remains an impediment to the country’s economic and social development.
Mrs Beatrice Eluaka, the Executive Secretary of the CS-SUNN, made this known at a media roundtable on “Partnership for Improving Nigeria Nutrition Systems (PINNS)’’, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Eluaka noted that the dialogue was aimed at establishing media roles and responsibilities for increased visibility of PINNS/nutrition issues in Nigeria, among others.
She identified malnutrition as a key contributor to infant and maternal mortality and morbidity, which in turn affects the economic development of the country.
Eluaka noted that since a country’s economic development was being measured by the level of the nutritional value it gives to its citizens, issues of malnutrition should be prioritised.
She identified some causes of malnutrition to include inadequate food intake, diseases, inadequate healthcare, unhygienic environment and poor health facilities.
Others are lack of education, poor housing schemes and ineffective implementation of government policies toward addressing the nation’s nutrition burden.
According to her, the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), which was conducted in the year 2016/2017 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), among others, revealed the alarming rate of malnutrition in the country.
“Stunting rate, that is when a child is too short for his or her age, as at 2017 was put at 43.6 per cent as against 32.9 per cent in 2015.
“Wasting rate, that is when a child is too thin for the child’s weight was also at 10.8 per cent in 2017 as against 7.2 per cent in 2015.
“Underweight children were at 31.5 per cent in 2017 as against 19.4 per cent in 2015.
“These negative results indicate an alarming trend in Nigeria’s malnutrition burden which will continue to impede the nation’s economic development if not properly checked,” she said.
Eluaka identified some challenges bedeviling the country’s nutrition section to include ineffective coordination of nutrition activities and actors at the national and sub-national levels.
Others included low uptake of preventive measures for combating malnutrition such as exclusive breastfeeding and optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices in the country.
The executive secretary added that the only solution to address this major challenge was for government at all levels to ensure timely and proper implementation of funds released to that effect.
She added that government should ensure that the National Council on Nutrition inaugurated earlier this year by President Muhammadu Buhari are result driven.
Eluaka said that the gains of investing in the nutrition of a country’s populace were enormous as it would ensure poverty reduction, increase the level of education, earnings and economic growth.
Mr Sunday Okoronkwo, CS-SUNN Project Manager, said the PINNS was aimed at strengthening the Nigerian nutrition system to be more Result-driven, Effective, Serviceable, Efficient and Transparent (RESET).
Okoronkwo said that the project would be implemented in FCT and five focal states of Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger.
According to him, the project will as well facilitate the delivery of nutrition interventions and to hold government accountable on commitment made to allocate, release and use funds transparently.
(NAN)