The Federal Government has confirmed that over four million children in the Northeast and Northwest regions are malnourished. This announcement was made by Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyebusi, Director of the Nutrition Department at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, during a five-day meeting with nutrition experts and stakeholders in Keffi, Nasarawa State. The meeting, held in partnership with Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) and other nutrition partners, aims to develop a strategic advocacy policy for nutrition in Nigeria.
The Federal Government has disclosed that over four million children in the Northeast and Northwest regions are experiencing malnutrition. Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyebusi, who leads the Nutrition Department at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, shared this information during a five-day conference held in Keffi, Nasarawa State, which began on Tuesday and will run through Saturday. This event, organized with the support of Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) and other collaborators, focuses on creating a strategic policy to improve nutrition across Nigeria.
The conference brings together a diverse group of nutrition experts, academics, and representatives from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). Bako-Aiyebusi highlighted that the goal of the meeting is to establish policy guidelines to address the country’s nutrition issues. She emphasized that Nigeria is facing a significant triple burden of malnutrition, characterized by widespread nutrient deficiencies, undernutrition, and overnutrition, which impact both health and socio-economic development. The 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey found that nearly 4.4 million children in these regions are malnourished, with contributing factors including inadequate food access, poor dietary practices, and economic and educational challenges.
