Nigeria Loses Over $1.5bn Annually to Malnutrition, FG Declares
Nigeria Loses Over $1.5bn Annually to Malnutrition, FG Declares
.World humanitarian day: Bauchi govt donates N2.6m to 5 vulnerable persons
Bassey Inyang in Calabar and Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
The federal government has descriibed Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis as a national emergency that has resulted in a loss of over $1.5 billion annually.
Also, as part of efforts to commemorate the World Humanitarian Day, the Bauchi State Government has donated the sum of N2.6 million to five residents of the state who are in dire need of help.
The Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Mrs. Uju Rochas-Anwuka, who stated this when she paid an official visit to the Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, on Thursday, said at the moment Nigeria ranks as the first in Africa, and second globally in child malnutrition.
While briefing the governor of the Nutrition 774 Initiative and related issues, the Special Assistant to the President said the malnutrition crisis was undermining human capital and national development.
She said, “The Nutrition 774 Initiative was conceived to provide a unified response to Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis, elevating nutrition as a national priority.
“It is a multi-sectoral, community-based framework established to improve nutritional outcomes across the 774 Local Government Areas of the country.”
Rochas-Anwuka said the initiative is anchored on a five-phase Strategic Plan that prioritises actions to strengthen governance structures, ensure accountability, and guarantee long-term sustainability.
She said that each state council on nutrition is expected to provide overall leadership, policy direction, and oversight to drive the implementation of the N774 initiative.
The Special Assistant to the President commended the Cross River State government for making budgetary provisions for nutrition, noting that such commitment would strengthen local systems and align with national priorities.
“The vision is to achieve a well-nourished and healthy Nigerian population through strengthened local systems and coordinated national action on nutrition,” she said.
In his response, Otu said his administration remains committed to a people-centred government, with a special focus on nutrition, preventive healthcare, and education, while calling for greater federal support to sustain reforms.
The governor said his administration deliberately designed its policies to place citizens at the centre of development, especially in sectors critical to human capital growth.
“Our agenda was very clear from the beginning; we want a people’s government here. Everything we do places the people at the centre.
“Education and health are the two key areas that, if not working well, no society can make progress,” Otu said.
The governor said that his administration prioritised nutrition and preventive healthcare as the foundation for long-term development, noting that efforts have already yielded measurable results.
“Since we started strengthening our nutrition sector, we have seen a steady decline in infant morbidity and mortality rates,” the governor said.
Otu highlighted some of the interventions introduced by his government, including fully paid maternity and paternity leave, support for parents to nurture their babies, and plans to fortify staple foods such as rice with vitamins.
He added that Cross River was also exploring the expansion of school feeding programmes to reach more children.
“Preventive health is far more effective than tackling ailments after they occur. That is why we are investing in nutrition, early childcare, and food security to build a strong immune base right from infancy,” he explained.
Otu thanked the presidential aide for the visit, assuring that Cross River State remains committed to reforms that will improve health, education, and the overall well-being of its people.
In another development, Bauchi State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hajiya Hajara Wanka who disbursed the cheques to the beneficiaries to mark the World Humanitarian Day, yesterday, said that the gesture was to alleviate their plight.
She reiterated the commitment of the government to continue to touch lives, particularly the vulnerable population in the state.
According to her, the Individuals have been outstanding in their contributions to the development of the state, particularly at the grassroots level, pointing out that their integrity and hard work need to be rewarded.
“These people have given their services voluntarily to their communities. We have chosen five people and I’m glad to say that they are all-deserving. Two of them were nominated through our radio programme.
“The one that took the first position is my nominee, he is Ward Head of Gwallaga, Dandada Ahmadu who gave his service to the community, to his people, to humanity. Two others were also recognised and that is exactly what we did.
“There is also one other person who has been taking care of a government hospital in Toro Local Government for about 20 years.
“He has been securing the hospital all this while and nobody has ever paid him for this selfless service and we feel these are the people we should look for on this day and honour them.
“There is also one other person, Madam Abdullahi Bangani who has given his service to a mosque in his locality. He has been taking care of the mosque, keeping it clean and also fetching water for people to perform their ablutions and he is doing other things to help people seeking assistance in that community,” she said.
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.World humanitarian day: Bauchi govt donates N2.6m to 5 vulnerable persons Bassey Inyang in Calabar and Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The federal government has descriibed Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis as a national emergency that has resulted in a loss of over $1.5 billion annually.
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