Daniel Atori & Mairo Allawa
Niger State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have called on local government Chairmen in Niger state to prioritise nutrition in their budget, saying “it will improve nutrition outcomes at the grassroots level”.
While speaking at a One Day sensitization and orientation workshop on the operationalization and management of the Nutrition-25 Initiatives (N-25) organised for the twenty five Local Government Area Chairmen and twenty five Directors of Personnel Management (DPMs) across the state and supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Commissioner for planning Mustapha Ndajiwo said the exercise was designed to enhance participants’ knowledge on the operationalization and management of the State Government’s Nutrition-25 Initiatives.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary Hajiya Aishatu Usman, the Commissioner noted that N-25 initiative is a call to action and commitment to ensure that every household, every child and community has access to adequate safety and nutritious food.
Accordingly, he said “their proximity to the people is strategically positioned to drive impactful change.”
During his presentation, the Executive Secretary, Civil Society -Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Dr. Sunday Okoronkwo said the essence is to align with the broader N-774 national framework with a focus on translating national nutrition priorities into coordinated and sustainable interventions at the grassroots.
According to him “the N-25 Initiative is expected to deepen political ownership, strengthen institutional capacity and foster collaboration among key sectors, with particular emphasis on improving nutrition outcomes for pregnant women, mothers and children under five during the critical first 1,000 days of life.”
In a goodwill message by the UNICEF Nutrition specialist Kaduna field office, Aisha Jibril Kallamu, Malnutrition goes beyond health as it determines whether a child survives.
According to her “for us to achieve results, there is the need for strong leadership, effective coordination, adequate financing, and collective action from government, partners, communities, and families”.
Chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Iliyasu Zakari while speaking on behalf of the LGA Chairmen, said the initiative will strengthen nutrition and governance, coordination and service delivery at the LGA level to accelerate the reduction of malnutrition across the State.
He then assured that “as Chairmen of LGAs, we will strengthen nutrition security and improve maternal and child health outcomes across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state.”
In his remarks, Executive Director, Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency (NSPHCDA), Dr. Junaidu Inuwa emphasised that nutrition services, from prevention to the treatment of malnutrition, remain integral to effective Primary Health Care delivery.
He noted that tackling malnutrition requires a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach involving health, agriculture, education and other relevant sectors.
