Malnutrition in Borno to be Addressed in Senate, Says Saraki

The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, has said the malnutrition problem in Borno State is a Nigerian one which would be addressed on the floor of the Senate.

Saraki, who was in Maiduguri , the Borno State capital on Monday to pay a condolence visit to the people of the state over the death of the First Republic minister and first African head of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Alhaji Shettima Monguno, also took time out to visit the centre for the treatment of people suffering from severe malnutrition.

The Senate President, who spoke to journalists at the Maiduguri International Airport after his visit to the treatment centre for the victims of acute malnutrition, lamented that Borno State has been left to carry too much of the burden of the Boko Haram insurgency and it has become pertinent for others to give them their shoulders.

He said: “I am happy I am here with the leader of the Senate. Before we break, we will definitely discuss it (the Borno malnutrition crisis) on the floor and see what we can do.

“The federal government and all agencies need to step up to the game.

“I think it is not good for a country like ours, we are a rich country, it is just an issue of organizing ourselves and getting the fund to support the state government. The state has been carrying too much of the load on their own.”

He said that the state government should not be left alone to carry the heavy burden but should be assisted by the federal government, private sector and wealthy individuals all over the country.

Saraki said: “We all need to put in our effort and see how we can address the (malnutrition) situation because it is the women and children that have suffered most from this. We must do our best to play a role and support the state in doing that.”

Further details later

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