Confirmation has been made by the Federal Government that over four million children in the Northeast and Northwest regions are suffering from malnutrition.
At a recent five-day meeting held in Keffi local government area of Nasarawa State, Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyebusi, the Director of the Nutrition Department in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, revealed this information to nutrition experts and stakeholders.
The meeting, organized in collaboration with Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) and other nutrition partners, commenced on Tuesday and is scheduled to conclude on Saturday.
Participating in the event are nutrition experts, academia, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and various other stakeholders.
During her opening speech, Bako-Aiyebusi mentioned that the aim of the meeting is to establish policy guidelines to address nutrition challenges in Nigeria.
She highlighted the current crisis facing Nigeria, characterized by a triple burden of malnutrition, ranging from macro and micronutrient deficiencies to undernutrition and overnutrition, which significantly impact health and socio-economic development.
Furthermore, the 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey report disclosed that close to 4.4 million children in the Northeast and Northwest regions are grappling with malnutrition.
Various reasons for malnutrition were identified, including limited food access, poor dietary habits, inadequate caregiving practices, economic and political factors, low socioeconomic status, insufficient healthcare-seeking behaviors, and low levels of education among the population.