- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Government has revealed that nearly 4.4 million children in the Northeast and Northwest are Malnourished.
This was disclosed by the Director of Nutrition Department in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ladidi Bako-Aiyebusi, while speaking at a five days meeting with nutrition experts and stakeholders in Keffi local government area of Nasarawa state yesterday.
The statistics, according to Ladidi, was contained in a 2021 survey by the National Food Consumption and Micronutrient.
Ladidi traced the cause of the situation to inadequate access to food, poor food consumption, improper feeding and caring amongst others.
“…the 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey report shows that nearly 4.4 million children in the Northeast and Northwest regions are malnourished.
“Identified causes of malnutrition include inadequate access to food, poor food consumption, improper feeding and caring practices, economic and political structures, low economic status, inadequate health-seeking behaviors and low level of education among the populace,” she said.
According to report, she pointed out that globally, advocacy has been identified as a productive tool in promoting the interest of persons or situations especially when it is evidence-based hence nutrition.
”Every other component of health, needs to be promoted through evidence-based advocacy.” She added