The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday revealed that 32 per cent of children under five years in the state are stunted as of 2024, according to the National Demographic and Health Survey, raising alarms over the rate of child malnutrition in Ebonyi State.

UNICEF Enugu Field Office Chief, Juliet Chiluwe, made the revelation during the official handover of Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) to the Ebonyi State Government in Abakaliki, describing malnutrition as a major public health challenge that demands urgent attention.

She noted that the prevalence of stunting among children under five years has continued to rise — from 20.6 per cent in 2015 to 25 per cent in 2018, and now 32 per cent in 2024 — calling for immediate action to reverse the trend.

“These increasing rates underscore the urgency of scaling up evidence-based interventions like SQ-LNS, especially in priority states such as ours,” Chiluwe said.

She explained that the SQ-LNS intervention is a high-impact nutrition measure designed to prevent stunting and micronutrient deficiencies among children aged six to 23 months — a critical window within the first 1,000 days of life.

According to her, the Ebonyi State Government contributed ₦150 million, which was matched by UNICEF, resulting in the procurement and delivery of 2,832 cartons of SQ-LNS for use across the state.

Chiluwe commended the state government’s leadership and commitment to nutrition financing, noting that Ebonyi’s effort sets an example for other sub-national governments in Nigeria.

Representing the governor, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, at the event, Deputy Governor Princess Patricia Obila assured that the state government would sustain efforts to eradicate malnutrition among children.

“Today, we have come to flag off these facilities that we are taking charge of. It is a very good one because we all know any child that is malnourished will always have stunted growth. In the olden day,s they called it kwashiorkor, but with this intervention, I bet you, we are going to fight it to zero level,” Obila said.

She likened the state’s commitment to the success story of eradicating polio in Ebonyi, stressing that similar community sensitisation and field engagement would be key in achieving results.

“When the issue of polio came up, we fought it to zero level. If you check our polio data, you will see that we did a good job, and Ebonyi is no longer recognised as a polio state,” she said.

“I will advise that the National Orientation Agency (NOA) should be part of this project to go out and talk to the people about balanced diets — the need to feed their children with foods containing nutrients like fat and oil, protein, and not just carbohydrates,” the deputy governor added.

Speaking to journalists, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Moses Ekuma, commended UNICEF for its continuous support, describing the initiative as a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health and the organisation.

“Health workers and caregivers who are to administer these supplies will be trained from next week,” Ekuma revealed.