Niger, UNICEF urge council chairmen to prioritise nutrition

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The Niger State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund have charged local government chairmen to prioritise nutrition in their budget,

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UNICEF and the Commissioner for Planning, Mustapha Ndajiwo, while speaking at a One-Day sensitisation and orientation workshop on the operationalisation and management of the Nutrition-25 Initiatives (N-25), said the exercise would improve nutrition outcomes at the grassroots level.

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They further said it was designed to enhance participants’ knowledge on the operationalisation and management of the state government’s Nutrition-25 Initiatives.

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The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Hajiya Aishatu Usman, noted that the N-25 initiative was a call to action and commitment to ensure that every household, every child and community has access to adequate, safe and nutritious food.

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The Executive Secretary, Civil Society -Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Dr Sunday Okoronkwo, said the essence was to align with the broader N-774 national framework with a focus on translating national nutrition priorities into coordinated and sustainable interventions at the grassroots.

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“The N-25 Initiative is expected to deepen political ownership, strengthen institutional capacity and foster collaboration among key sectors, with particular emphasis on improving nutrition outcomes for pregnant women, mothers and children under five during the critical first 1,000 days of life,” he said.

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The UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Kaduna field office, Aisha Kallamu, in a goodwill message, said malnutrition goes beyond health, stressing that it determines whether a child survives.

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“For us to achieve results, there is the need for strong leadership, effective coordination, adequate financing, and collective action from government, partners, communities, and families,” she noted.

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The Chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Iliyasu Zakari, while speaking on behalf of the LGA chairmen, said the initiative would strengthen nutrition, governance, coordination and service delivery at the LGA level to accelerate the reduction of malnutrition across the state.

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“As chairmen of LGAs, we will strengthen nutrition security and improve maternal and child health outcomes across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state,” Zakari said.

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The Executive Director, Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Junaidu Inuwa, noted that nutrition services, from prevention to the treatment of malnutrition, remained integral to effective Primary Health Care delivery.

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He also pointed out that tackling malnutrition requires a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach involving health, agriculture, education and other relevant sectors.

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