By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
According to National Bureau of Statistics’ Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2021), the practice of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) is lower in Bauchi State compared to North East Region and the National Rates, except for minimum meal frequency.
The survey indicates that frequency of exclusive breastfeeding, which is the first line of nutrition for children aged 0 – 6 months, is a mere 26 percent, while minimum dietary diversity in children is only 17 percent (the lowest in the North East).
Also, the MICS 2021 indicates that the minimum acceptable diet for children in Bauchi State is painfully only 4 percent as against 9 percent in the entire North East and 12 percent Nationally.
These worrisome data is a clear indicator of how children nutrition is fairing in Bauchi State. What this means is that, there is a threat to future human capital resource in Bauchi State.
Therefore, in a bid to combat infant malnutrition and enhance child survival rates, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) through its Bauchi Field Office, is spearheading complementary feeding initiatives across three Local Government Areas in Gombe State.
One of these areas, Kaltungo which has become a focal point for the project as was confirmed during a recent field visit to the facility in Kalorgu Community where, the Local Government Nutrition Facilitator, Ladi Abdullahi detailed the efforts being made to educate women on preparing complementary supplements foods for infants using locally-sourced ingredients.
Ladi Abdullahi emphasized the importance of using accessible and cost-effective foods such as orange-fleshed potatoes, spinach, sorghum, and moringa leaves, all enriched with vitamin A just as She highlighted an innovative aspect of the project: the distribution of potato vines to families for backyard cultivation which initiative ensures that nutrient-rich foods are readily available within the community.
A Staff of the facility, Naomi Joseph who is also involved in training mothers and caregivers, praised the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office for its efforts in promoting exclusive breastfeeding and the introduction of complementary feeding practices.
However, Na’omi Joseph pointed out a significant challenge—the lack of access to clean water, which is crucial for cultivating and processing these nutritious foods urging the government and other stakeholders to support UNICEF’s mission to reduce infant malnutrition, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
This initiative reflects UNICEF’s commitment to improving child nutrition and survival through sustainable, community-based approaches emphasizing the necessity of economic growth, poverty reduction, and access to skilled health workers to combat infant malnutrition in Northern Nigeria. This message was highlighted by the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office during a two-day media dialogue on age-appropriate complementary feeding for children aged 6 to 23 months, held in Gombe.
The event, organized for Journalists from Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau and Taraba States, featured a field visit to the Kalorgu Primary Health Care Center in Kaltungo Local Government Council where women are educated on preparing nutritious, home-grown foods. Philomena Irene, a Nutrition Specialist from the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, explained that UNICEF’s efforts to prevent malnutrition include educating mothers and caregivers on proper child feeding practices and providing free micronutrient supplements to children and pregnant women.
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Philomena Irene, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist
UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Philomena Irene emphasized that during the critical period of 6 to 23 months, infants should receive breast milk and complementary foods to ensure healthy growth.
Some mothers at the Kalorgu Primary Health Care Center including Samira Yakubu and Sandra Bala expressed their gratitude to UNICEF for promoting exclusive breastfeeding and introducing complementary foods made from nutrient-dense ingredients such as orange-fleshed potatoes. They also called on the government to increase investment in the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) to significantly reduce malnutrition rates and maternal mortality.
As UNICEF continues to support the fight against malnutrition through education, resource provision, and advocacy for greater government involvement in child nutrition initiatives, there is the need for Bauchi State Government to key in to the programme in order to reduce the menace of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) among children Under 5 years.
The reason for the government to key in to the programme is neccesiated by the enormity of malnutrition in State which can be seen in the current available Statistics as well as other surveys and studies conducted by world bodies like UNICEF, WHO, USAID etc. The statistics are so alarming that urgent and necessary action must be taken.
During a recent meeting, it was disclosed that in the first quarter of 2024, Bauchi State recorded Four deaths from Severe Acute Malnutrition in children under Five years just as a total of 4,384 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were admitted for treatment across the 14 integrated management of acute malnutrition (IMAM) centers in the state.
The disclosure was made by the State Nutrition Officer, Abubakar Saleh while giving an overview on the nutrition situation in Bauchi State at a 2-day State Committee on Food and Nutrition meeting which was to build the capacity of members of Bauchi State Committee on Food and nutrition on basic nutrition package development activity, work plan and operationalization of performance management system.
Abubakar Saleh explained that of these number, only 451 have completed treatment while the state recorded four deaths saying that, “The state commenced treatment in February 2024 when we took delivery of 17.000 cartoons of RUTF from USAID”.
In a message, a UNICEF facilitator on Nutrition, Jessica Bartholomew stated that according to statistics, Nigeria is home to the largest population of chronically undernourished children in the world stressing that the country has a total of 11 million children being stunted while Bauchi State is contributing to the number with a stunting rate at 46%, wasting 9.5% and 28.2% underweight NDHIS 2018.
She however stressed that, nutrition is the only to way get a nation’s human capital development right adding that as a Committee with mandate to coordinate nutrition activities in the state, there is need to make government realize the need to address nutrition which is of critical importance for achieving SDGs especially goals related to hunger, child and maternal health and education.
The Facilitator also noted that government needs to invest in interventions as childhood stunting is estimated to reduce at least 10% of potential life savings stating that, “According to world bank estimation increasing in nutrition can increase a country’s gross domestic product by at least 3% annually.”
The Nutrition Officer, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr Martins Jacksons emphasized the need for sustained awareness on exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of a child’s life to address malnutrition, stating that, “UNICEF is counting on your commitment to change the narrative on issues are nutrition in Bauchi State, we shall continue to give you the necessary support “.
Also speaking, Secretary of Bauchi State Committee on Food and Nutrition, Usman Muhammad said that the capacity building was on basic nutrition concepts, nutrition sensitive and nutrition specific interventions.
Also, it was for performance management system aimed to enhance the effectiveness, knowledge, skills and practices of the committee in addressing malnutrition and promote optimal nutritional health across the State adding that the specific objective was to also develop and implement a performance management system.
Because UNICEF is now interested in preventing the process that leads to malnutrition and severe acute malnutrition, there is the need for the government to replicate the Kalorgu center in Bauchi state
The State can leverage on the Children’s Nutrition Fund (CNF) to rescue the situation as it is a global programme/ organization that provides financial support and resources to ensure children have access to nutritious food and adequate nutrition.
The specific goals and activities of a CNF may vary from one country to another, but common objectives include reducing hunger and malnutrition, through providing meals, snacks, or food assistance to children in need and Promoting healthy eating habits by way of educating children and families about the importance of proper nutrition and healthy food choices.
It is also supporting nutrition education and awareness, through funding programs that teach caregivers, children and communities about nutrition and healthy lifestyles and Advocating for children’s nutrition rights, by working to ensure that all children have access to nutritious food and clean water.
The above is supported by Health experts who strongly believed that the first 1,000 days of a child is crucial for physical development and brain growth and that a woman’s nutrition during pregnancy, breastfeeding as well as baby’s nurturing care in the first two years is extremely important for the healthy future of any child.
More so, maternal and child nutrition and health can determine the child’s ability to grow, and poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days may cause irreversible damage to a child’s growing brain and body.
It is therefore, imperative that, “Since Nutrition commences from conception to newborn until the baby grows into an adolescent and then an adult. The first 1000 days of life – between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday – is a unique period of opportunity when the foundations for optimum health and development across the lifespan are established.”
The right nutrition and care during the 1000 day window influences not only whether the child will survive, but also his or her ability to grow, learn and rise out of poverty. As such, it contributes to society’s long-term health, stability, and prosperity.
