Children’s Day: 11m Children Suffer from Food Poverty, Say Paediatricians

* Call on lawmakers to make children issues topmost priority

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

As Nigeria joins the world to commemorate the 2025 Children’s Day, the Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) has revealed that 11 million children are currently suffering from food poverty. 

It said out of the 11 million children, who can be categorized into two — namely over nutrition and under nutrition — over two million are malnourished, thereby posing a serious problem for the country. 

The National President of PAN, Prof. Ekanem Ekure, who stated this Tuesday in Abuja during an art competition centred on the theme of nutrition amongst children, in commemoration of their day, said nutrition is foundational in the life of every child and serves as building blocks that brings out their potential to which attention must be paid to and not delayed. 

For this reason, she appealed to lawmakers to make children-related issues a topmost priority, while noting that love for children should be evident in policies, decisions and in all interventions.

She bemoaned the lacklustre attitude of the executive towards budgetary allocation and disbursement of funds in the health sector, to which a minute fraction trickles down to nutrition, stating that: “Budgetary allocation for health has been frustrating. The target should be 15 per cent of the budget. In Nigeria, we have never gotten close, even one-third. In the last budget, were still less than 5 per cent.”

According to Ekure, “When talking about food poverty, there are more than 11 million children suffering from food poverty. There are eight basic food groups that children should eat. We are talking of foods like grains, fats and oils, protein, dairies, legumes such as beans, nuts and seeds, as well as fruits and vegetables. If children are fed two or less of these groups, that is food poverty which means they are not having enough.

“We advocate that their meals should consist of a mix of the different groups and this is not happening due to food shortage, insecurity, climate change and lack of knowledge.

“So even though the number seems to have increased from last year budget, but the inflation we are experiencing has made it meaningless. 

“Our appeal as an association to the lawmakers is that we should make our children number one priority. Children are loved in Africa and there’s news to show it in policies, decisions and all interventions. All conversations should include children, and a sector be put aside for them.”

In the same vein, the Head of Paediatrics at the National Hospital, Dr. Chidi Charles Ulonnam, who lectured the children on nutrition with the topic ‘Understanding the importance of nutrition during adolescent period’, said the prevalence of malnutrition in adolescents is high, hence the choice of topic. 

He discouraged the idea of eating in restaurants- foods that are predominantly junk and high in sugar, sodium and fats, but disturbingly low in nutrition. 

According to him, “It is greatly affecting their health, and this is not just now, but will have dire implications in adulthood, thereby increasing the risk of certain diseases.

“The poor choices are mostly from peer groups and pressure. They are concerned about their body image. Many times, they don’t want to eat until when hungry because they are mirroring after others.”

He said despite the harsh economy, which he’s optimistic will change for good, there are choices to pick from towards ensuring that there’s balanced diet in the foods of adolescents.