Business

Include Adolescent Nutrition In National Policy – Nutritionist

Published

1 year ago

April 25, 2025

The Head of the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Dr. Patricia Ukegbu, has called for the inclusion of adolescent nutrition considerations in the National Policy on Food and Nutrition (NPFN).
Ukegbu, who is an Associate Professor at the university, said such a move would help reduce the long-term burden of stunting and contribute to achieving nutrition security in Nigeria.
She made the recommendation recently during the first-quarter coordination meeting of the National Committee on Food and Nutrition (NCFN) at Nasarawa State.
The Tide’s source reports that Ukegbu is a Policy Fellow of the Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP), an initiative of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD).
Delivering a presentation titled “Integrating Gender-Responsive Adolescent Nutrition Considerations into the NPFN”, she explained that although the current policy acknowledges gender inequalities, it lacks specific provisions to address disparities related to adolescent nutrition.
She identified these inequalities as relating to food and nutrition security, access to healthcare services, educational resources, social protection, and empowerment.
“The NPFN contains no specific national provisions for younger adolescent females (aged 10–14) and males in general (aged 10–19).
“The policy rightly focuses on children under five and women of reproductive age.
“It inadequately engages adolescents in interventions designed to meet their distinct nutritional needs”, she said.
Ukegbu advocated for a review of the 2016 NPFN to incorporate gender-responsive strategies on adolescent nutrition, including the promotion of adolescent participation in policy making processes.
She also recommended the development of clear objectives, targets, and strategies to improve adolescents’ nutritional knowledge and dietary behaviours.
According to her, these measures are critical to ensuring adequate nutrition for the nation’s adolescent population.
Ukegbu highlighted the opportunities for strengthening gender-responsive adolescent nutrition in Nigeria, including policy, programme, and legal frameworks.
She cited existing programmes such as school feeding, food fortification, dietary diversity, and biofortification.
The nutrition expert outlined key challenges facing adolescent nutrition, including inadequate diets, malnutrition, food insecurity, and the absence of gender-responsive policies and programmes.
Also speaking at the event, Prof. Ngozi Nnam, an expert in Community and Public Health and Paediatric Nutrition at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, advocated a life-cycle approach to nutrition.
Nnam emphasised the need to prioritise nutrition at every life stage from early childhood through adolescence and into old age.
She said, “Adolescence is a critical developmental phase. While most development occurs from conception through the first 1,000 days, the adolescent stage is another key window when substantial physical and cognitive growth takes place.
“If nutrition is properly addressed during adolescence, it can help correct some deficits incurred earlier in life”.
Another nutrition expert and AWARD mentee to Ukegbu, Dr. Victor Ajieroh, described the advocacy for adolescent nutrition inclusion in the NPFN as timely.
He stressed that such inclusion would allow the country to maximise the benefits of its demographic structure.
Ajieroh stated that while the nutrition of mothers and children under five must remain a priority, strategic attention should also be paid to adolescents aged 10 to 14.
“The school feeding programme should be expanded to include this age group. We must strengthen school-based health, nutrition, and agricultural programmes, especially in secondary schools, to prepare adolescents for their most productive years”.

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

1 week ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.