UNICEF Tasks Bauchi Legislators on Funding Child Nutrition

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly have been called upon to commit themselves to make child nutrition funding part of their constituency project in order to address the problem of malnutrition in children in the state.

The Chief of Bauchi Field Office of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, made the call while addressing the lawmakers on Adequate budgetary Appropriation for Nutrition Intervention during  a two- day advocacy and sensitisation meeting held  in Jos, Plateau state yesterday.

She said that the child Nutrition Fund is an initiative designed to support government efforts in some countries that carry the highest number of children suffering from the problem of malnutrition. 

Adding that Nigeria is one of the countries where there are high number of malnourished children  because of its  large population.

Rafique stated that the fund (UNICEF) has been a partner to Bauchi state in addressing malnutrition through enhanced nutrition financing.

She explained that the UNICEF provides both technical and financial assistance to strengthen policies, improve service delivery and ensure the availability of essential nutrition commodities, including ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and multiple micronutrients supplements (mms).

Rafique, who commended the Bauchi state government for the continued collaboration, said without children, no future of any given society is guaranteed.

She recalled that in the last five years, there has been 2.9 per cent increase in severe acute malnutrition and  seven  per cent increase in moderate malnutrition in Bauchi state, saying action must be taken to curb the trend by expanding the investment in nutrition to save the children.

The UNICEF Chief of Field Office Bauchi stressed that proactive steps must be taken to improve nutrition financing, noting that the meeting provides the opportunity for the stakeholders to discuss and commit to actionable strategies to increase funding.

According to her, Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) is an initiative that give state governments in the country the ownership of funding nutrition through a counterpart funding to match UNICEF contribution in the same sum to the basket fund.

“If you put N100 million, we will match N100 million, so N200 million will reach the children. We work on prevention, cure and rehabilitation of the children under nutrition to help set up a society where no child should suffer from malnutrition. Children suffering so much from malnutrition can be rehabilitated, so this is so sensitive and I will like all of you to feel from the heart. You have to be fathers to children in your constituencies, literally this is your accountability’

 “So the most important thing is to start thinking of how much you can commit.So what I suggest if I was in your place, with the support from UNICEF, you can identify in your constituencies where the highest number of malnourished children are.You should go around and see things for yourself, we have the data for bauchi state and it is one of the worst state suffering from malnutrition”

 However, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly (BAHA), Rt. Hon Abubakar Sulaiman, assured  UNICEF officers and other stakeholders  of finding a way to making provision for nutrition in the 2025 budget despite  having been passed and signed into law.

The Speaker in his remarks while declaring the meeting open described nutrition as very important, which if not taken care of, will affect the lives of the children, lamenting that the meeting came late and at a time the 2025 budget has been passed and signed into law by the governor.

 According to him, “I was discussing with the deputy speaker that this programme  should have come before the passage of the 2025 budget, which would have been an avenue for us to discuss so many issues surrounding malnutrition and then include it in the 2025 budget”, he said.

 “Unfortunately the 2025 budget has already been passed, but that notwithstanding, as members of the house of assembly who have the responsibility of passing the budget, we will definitely see what we can do to ensure that what we are going to discuss here is reflected in the budget, we have a legal way of doing that, and in Sha Allahu we will do something about that”, he  said.

Rt. Hon Sulaiman ,who commended the House members for attending the meeting, assured UNICEF that the assembly  was committed to policies that would improve the living standard of children.

Speaker Sulaiman said that to show commitment to issue of nutrition, Bauchi state assembly under his speakership has constituted a standing committee on nutrition and food security chaired by a member who has concerns for nutrition unlike before when there was none.

According to him, the committee which comprises  committee chairmen on agriculture, health and appropriation as members, indicated the seriousness of the assembly regarding nutrition.

 “We want to assure UNICEF and other partners that Bauchi state assembly is fully committed to ensuring that our children are free from malnutrition. I commend the ministry of budget and economic planning and UNICEF for initiating this important meeting for the members of the state assembly as representatives of the people at the grassroots to discuss about nutrition”, the Speaker disclosed.