UNICEF laments grave  nutrition status in Bauchi 

By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi

Bauchi Field Office of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has lamented the grave nutrition status  of U-5 children in Bauchi State declaring that half of them are severely malnourished.

The assertion was made by the UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, while addressing Journalists in her office to commemorate the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week.

Nuzhat Rafique stated that, “I think, I would like to start from the status of nutrition of the children in Bauchi, where we find a very grave situation. Half of the children, they are malnourished, and even more have been malnourished in the past, leading to chronic malnutrition and stunting.”

According to her, “There are a lot of children in Bauchi as a state, and the nutrition situation is very poor. And, you know, breastfeeding is one of the first promises towards good nutrition and survival of the child.”

Nuzhat Rafique stressed that, “Starting with, remember the formula that we need to promote. 1, 6, 24. One hour, the first hour of the baby, we need to initiate breastfeeding. For all the benefits of antibodies, very good food for the child. The first food for the baby which can really help him developing the resistance against diseases and to building the nutrition level.”

“Then, exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months. 1, 6, 24. Exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months, and then initiation of complementary feeding, optimum complementary feeding, along with continuation of breastfeeding till 24 months. So this is the formula every mother should know. Every grandmother should know. Whole community should know,” She stressed.

The UNICEF CFO added that, “And now, I will talk about the theme of this year for the World Breastfeeding Week.”System support for the Woman”. I am a mother. You are mothers and fathers of the children. You know the family values. Until or unless the woman is fully supported, it is very difficult for her to do the right things.”

According to her, “Initiate breastfeeding on time, continuing breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and continuing till 24 months, because, there are different social, cultural dynamics playing a role in it. So, we all need family support, community support to ensure that she gets all these facilities to optimally breastfeed the child.”

She added that, “On the other hand, we really need the state government, the health system to play their roles, all systems to play their roles to support the mother. If there are skilled birth attendants, there are more chances that the mother will initiate breastfeeding within first hour. If the health providers are trained properly for essential newborn care, there are more chances that mother will be facilitated to do first-hour initiation of breastfeeding and continue it exclusively.”

Nuzhat Rafique further stated that, “Then the policy level. If the state government has a policy for paid six-month maternity leave, that can play a huge role in the better nutritional status of children and initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding for six months by the mother.”

“And staying with the child automatically ensures better care, better hygiene of the child, so they don’t get diarrhea and ARI again and again, which is one of the major causes leading towards malnutrition. And poor nutrition practices can also be combated by the presence of mother, the complementary feeding,” She added.

According to her, “So with this policy being in place, If the six-month exclusive breastfeeding will be supported for every working mother, then we need to have some arrangements in the workplaces for the mothers to feed their children. If after six months, they rejoin the office and initiate complementary feeding, but still they need to continue the feeding for 24 months.”

She added that,”So if they don’t have a good private place to feed the child, it’s difficult for them to continue feeding while working and performing and contributing towards the country’s progress and state’s progress. So it’s very, very important to have all the system support for the mothers and for the families to continue breastfeeding the children exclusively and then continuously till 24 months.”

“And that is the foundation for having healthy, intelligent, productive next generation. This is not only one mother or one child. They are going to give rise to a whole next generation. That is going to hold Nigeria up and make it a success, inshallah,” She said.

According to her,”So, that’s my request, that along with this breastfeeding, we have already requested the state government for Child Nutrition Fund to combat malnutrition in Bauchi State, which is very, very important.”

She stressed that, “First of all, through breastfeeding, we should not let any child go into malnutrition. But the children who have already gone into malnutrition, we need to bring them back. And for that, we need support from the state government in terms of matching grant. I’m very grateful to His Excellency, the Governor. He’s very helpful and supportive in this regard. He already promised around N200 to N300 million for the matching grant.”

She pointed out that, “And the same amount will be matched by UNICEF through Child Nutrition Fund, which is a pool money by the UK Government, Gates Foundation, Foundation, Child Nutrition Fund Foundation, many donors, they combined their funds into that, and UNICEF manages those funds.”

“So, if government gives N300 million, UNICEF will arrange N300 million from the Child Nutrition Fund. And with that N600 million, we can bring RUTF, we can bring SQLNS, and different nutrition supplies for children and mothers. So that is my very, very strong request and plea from the state government to mobilize these resources for CNF,” The CFO explained.

Nuzhat Rafique further stated that, “And my main request from all of you as the pillars of society, the ears and eyes of the society, please promote 1,6,24 breastfeeding formula that is going to save our children’s life and leaving no one behind.”

Speaking earlier, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Mrs. Philomina Irene,
lamented that only two out of every ten babies in the state are exclusively breastfed, a development She said is far below the world standard of child nutrition.

She called on the media practitioners to amplify awareness about children’s rights and the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, advocating for the creation of breastfeeding-friendly spaces in workplaces and government institutions.

She however, reiterated the call for six months paid maternity leave for nursing and lactating mothers, saying that, “these measures would significantly ease the burden on working mothers.”

In his remarks, State Nutrition Officer (SNO), Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Alhaji Abubakar Sale Sabo Bara, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving breastfeeding practices through social behavior change initiatives.

He stated that the Board is intensifying efforts to sensitize parents, traditional rulers, and religious leaders about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the survival and wellbeing of children.

The SNO, also said that, saving children’s lives is the top priority of the Board, pledging to continue to push for greater awareness and improved nutrition outcomes across the state.

He further said that with collective action from government, communities, and development partners, stakeholders believe that child nutrition and survival rates in Bauchi can be significantly improved.

Theme of the WBW 2025, is: Supporting Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Future.