The recent warning by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) over worsening child malnutrition in war-ravaged North East states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa is disturbing. The alarm was raised by the Chief Field Officer of UNICEF in Maiduguri, Borno State, Mr. Samuel Sesay, at a three-day media dialogue in the state. Malnutrition, according to UNICEF, is the underlying cause of about 50 per cent of all deaths among under-five children the world over, and the biggest threat to child survival and development in the North East region, the epicentre of insurgency.
In fact, the insurgency in the North East region has exacerbated food insecurity with the destruction of farmlands and food crops. Without food, child malnutrition is bound to occur. Desert encroachment and the COVID-19 pandemic may have worsened the situation. And in any crisis situation, women and children are the most vulnerable. It is even more painful that people no longer go to the farms to cultivate or harvest food because of insecurity. Without urgent intervention by the government and donor agencies, it is likely that child malnutrition will endanger the future of children in the North East. We acknowledge the efforts of the Federal Government to end the conflict in the zone, but it must do more. However, with the increasing destruction of livelihoods and weakening of the fragile health systems, we urge the government to map out measures to check child malnutrition in the zone. So far, UNICEF has supported integration of community- based management of acute malnutrition services to children in the North East. We suggest that these services should be extended to others that need them. Nutrition funding and utilisation should be scaled-up to reduce the number of severe and acute malnourished children at the community management of acute malnutrition sites, which have increased from 2,796 in the first quarter of this year to 8,157 in the second quarter. About one million children in the North East are said to be acutely malnourished, including over 600,000 facing severe malnutrition. They may die if nothing is done so fast to save them. Over 123,000 pregnant or lactating women are also facing acute malnutrition. We call for a more rapid advocacy to transition from emergency to development funding sources.
In the face of the malnutrition challenge, government should come up with more interventions focusing on exclusive breastfeeding, continued breastfeeding, and optimal complementary feeding practices using available local nutritious foods. In addition, more programmes that target maternal and young child diets should be encouraged. There is need for household food fortification, cash and voucher programme to improve the proportion of children exposed to minimum acceptable diet. Let government intensify efforts to improve immunisation coverage for measles, polio and other child killer diseases. The health authorities must ensure that appropriate hygiene practices are strengthened. Potable water and soap must be provided to people living in rural areas. Since malnutrition is largely driven by poverty, the government must hasten its poverty reduction initiatives. We need more pragmatic measures to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, as the government has promised. Government should prioritise primary health care system by equipping all health centres in the 774 local government areas across the country. The revelation that only 30 per cent of health facilities are reportedly functional in Borno State, the epicentre of the insurgency, is unacceptable. In this state, malaria is endemic and cholera and other diseases affect children regularly and are often life-threatening. An estimated 943,000 children under-five years old across Borno and Yobe states are acutely malnourished; 440,000 with severe acute malnutrition and 503,000 with moderate acute malnutrition. The feeding of children with highly nutritious food at home should be encouraged. More attention should be given to children in IDP camps. Officials, who misappropriate food items meant for children in IDP camps, must be apprehended and punished. Let there be more sustained government’s interventions to curb child malnutrition.