UNICEF Alerts On Malnutrition

The United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has called for more commitment from state governments to tackle malnutrition amongst children in the Sahel states.

A presentation made in Kano recently by the UNICEF Representative, Mr Niyi Oyedokun, said that early warning of the malnutrition was given since 2011.

The warning, he said, had forecasted that over a million children would suffer severe acute malnutrition in eight countries, including Nigeria.

Since then, Oyedokun said, the Agency and Federal Government were at their best to combat the problem.

He said that amongst the strategies needed to combat the problem was the establishment of a Statutory State Committee on Food and Nutrition as provided in the National nutrition policy.

The Representative expressed dismay that only two out of the seven affected states established such committees at present.

Oyedokun also said that the strategy of Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition has also been facing some challenges.

He said that there was need for recruitment of more staff at the intervention sites and provision of some incentives for the volunteers.

The Tide reports that the UNICEF had organised a one-day sensitisation workshop in Kano to address the issues surrounding malnutrition amongst children in the Sahel states of Nigeria.