Nutrition International Delivers 48,000 Zinc/ORS Packs to Sokoto, Pushes for Stronger State Investment in Child Health

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto 

Nutrition International has handed over 48,000 Zinc and ORS co-packs to the Sokoto State Drug Revolving Fund, marking another step in its push to strengthen the state’s response to childhood diarrhea and malnutrition.

The handover was made by Country Director Dr. Osita Okonkwo during a working visit to the state.

Performing the handover at the DRF facility, Dr. Okonkwo said the donation was meant to demonstrate what targeted investment in malnutrition can look like.

“We have to start from somewhere, to demonstrate to the state government what it means to invest in malnutrition,” he said. 

He stressed that Nutrition International’s role is not to replace government responsibility but to support it. The packs, he noted, will give caregivers something to administer within 24 hours when children fall ill with diarrhea, reducing the risk of severe dehydration and death. 

Okonkwo also linked the donation to the organisation’s broader training programmes for health workers across Sokoto. He said the goal is to build local capacity so that health workers and caregivers can identify and treat diarrhea early, improving outcomes for children statewide.

Receiving the supplies on behalf of the state, Commissioner for Health Dr. Umar Abubakar, represented by Director of Pharmacy Services, Pharmacist Habibu Muhammad, thanked Nutrition International for its consistent partnership. He noted that the organisation has supported Sokoto through capacity building, supervision, and the provision of DRF tools, even amid challenges.

Abubakar acknowledged that the 48,000 packs would not cover the entire state but said the support would go a long way in reaching vulnerable children. “As you remarked that this donation will not go round the state, we still appreciate your modest support, which will go a long way in providing succour especially to the vulnerable,” he said.

The Nutrition International team also met with the Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Hon. Tukur Bala Bodinga.

Okonkwo briefed the Speaker on the organisation’s work in the state, funded solely by the Canadian government, and discussed areas for sustained collaboration.

Beyond Zinc/ORS distribution, Okonkwo outlined Nutrition International’s support for maternal health, Vitamin A supplementation, and training for health workers and caregivers. He emphasized early identification and treatment of diarrhea as key to reducing child mortality in the state.

Bodinga welcomed the briefing and pledged that the House would appropriate funds as requested by the executive to support health interventions. He added that the Assembly would maintain its oversight role to ensure transparency and accountability in health sector spending.

The visit ended at the Primary Healthcare Centre in Rumbukawa, Sokoto North LGA, where the team engaged directly with health workers. Officer-in-Charge Mustapha Umar guided Dr. Okonkwo and his team through the facility, showcasing units for consultation, family planning, immunisation, nutrition, antenatal care, pharmacy, and laboratory services.

The visit underscores a model of partnership where international support complements state systems rather than replacing them. For Sokoto, the immediate impact is 48,000 children who could receive timely treatment for diarrhea, but the longer-term goal is a stronger, better-equipped health system.

With malnutrition and diarrhea remaining leading causes of child illness in northern Nigeria, the handover adds to ongoing efforts to close the gap between policy and practice. The test now lies in how effectively the state scales up distribution and sustains the training and systems Nutrition International has helped put in place.