Malnutrition May Hit Frightening Level in FCT, Experts Warn

• Child stunting, wasting, underweight now rampant

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Nutrition experts and stakeholders have said the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja may face serious malnutrition crisis if the administration fails to urgently intervene and provide funds and nutrition commodities to arrest the situation.

They said that stunting, wasting and underweight amongst children are becoming more pronounced in the capital city.

In a presentation by the  Executive Secretary of the Civil Society–Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN),, Mr. Sunday Okoronkwo at the One-Day State-Level Media Dialogue and Stakeholder Engagement on the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) and the Implementation of Six-Month Paid Maternity Leave in the FCT, held on Tuesday, the organization said that despite its status as the nation’s capital, FCT continues to face a significant and complex malnutrition burden.

Quoting statistics from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2023/2024) Okoronkwo, said that 16 percent of children in FCT are stunted, 7 percent wasted while 22 percent are underweight.

He also said that only 29 percent of infants are exclusively breastfed in the first six (6) months of life.

The nutrition advocate, noted that micronutrient deficiencies have remained a significant public health concern, with nearly half of women of reproductive age and more than two-thirds of children under five (5) affected by anaemia.

“These figures underscore critical gaps in maternal and child nutrition, with far-reaching implications for cognitive development, educational attainment, workforce productivity and overall development outcomes.

“The situation is further complicated by the emerging double burden of malnutrition, where undernutrition exists alongside rising levels of overweight, obesity and non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

“This dual challenge is placing increasing pressure on families, communities and the health system, while silently undermining productivity and economic growth in the FCT. Yet there is an opportunity,” he said.

CS-SSUN’s Executive Secretary emphasized the importance of the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) as a means addressing the challenges of malnutrition.

He called on the FCT Administration to seize opportunity by prioritizing nutrition as a central pillar of development.

 “This includes committing adequate financial resources, establishing strong governance and accountability mechanisms and institutionalizing nutrition across relevant sectors. It also requires decisive action to approve and implement six-month paid maternity leave and to fully leverage the opportunities presented by the Child Nutrition Fund,” he said.

The State Nutrition Officer for FCT, Mrs. Chinyere Ekwueme, who delivered a paper at the workshop said that 35 out 100 children living in the FCT are severely malnurished while more than half of women in the capital city within 49 years are anaemic.

Compounding the situation, Ekwueme said that there is now shortage of the vital nutrients Supplements – RUTF used in treating these children in malnurished condition.

“So currently we don’t have our RUTF to treat children who are severely malnourished in the capital city. We don’t have any stock, but we are hopeful that the FCT administration will key into the matching fund so that we can get RUTF for these children who are suffering malnutrition. 

“Even for children who are moderately malnourished, they need counseling, and they need food to make sure that they don’t slip from yellow, green and red status,” she said.

On her part, the Executive Secretary of the FCT Primary Healthcare Board (PHCB), Dr. Ruqqaya Wamakko, said that Nutrition intervention activities is facing financial challenge partly due to absence of a line budget.

She said the absence of a dedicated Line budget as well as the ever-growing population of the FCT have made it difficult for those in in-charge of nutrition management to cater adequately for the needs of the malnourished children.

She also complained of the limitations FCT is suffering due to the peculiar administrative structure imposed on it by the constitution which makes it to carry the burden of a state but lacking the autonomy and independence to plan and execute its activities without reporting to the Presidency and the National Assembly.