Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has linked Nigeria’s child-malnutrition crisis to rising household costs, arguing that high food, transportation and energy prices are making nutritious meals increasingly unaffordable for families.

Atiku, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, cited figures from nutrition experts indicating that 41.1 per cent of Nigerian children under five are stunted, while 19.2 per cent are severely stunted.

He also cited a stunting rate of 58.2 per cent in the North-West and said nearly two million children were suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with only about two in 10 receiving treatment.

The figures come against the backdrop of persistent food-price pressures. The National Bureau of Statistics currently puts food inflation at 19.57 per cent.

Atiku described the malnutrition figures as a manifestation of the cost-of-living crisis, saying economic hardship was affecting not only household incomes but also children’s nutrition and development.

“This is the most heartbreaking face of the cost-of-living crisis. Behind every statistic is a Nigerian mother struggling to decide what her children can eat, how much they can eat and how often they can eat,” he said.

According to him, rising energy and transportation costs also increase the cost of moving food from farms to markets and ultimately raise household expenses.

“When fuel becomes expensive, transporting tomatoes from the farm becomes expensive. Taking rice to the market becomes expensive. Moving children to school becomes expensive,” Atiku said.

He argued that the government should focus on policies that reduce production and transportation costs rather than simply asking Nigerians to cope with rising prices.

Atiku reiterated his proposal for a production subsidy tied to crude oil refined domestically, rather than a return to subsidising imported petrol.

“My position is straightforward: support what Nigeria produces and refines, lower domestic production costs, and ensure that the benefit reaches the Nigerian consumer,” he said.

“This is not an import subsidy. If you do not refine in Nigeria, you do not qualify. The subsidy follows the barrel refined in Nigeria.”

The former vice president said reducing energy costs would have wider implications for agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, transportation and household expenditure.

“My production-subsidy proposal is therefore not simply a petrol policy. It is part of a broader affordability programme,” he said.

Atiku also called for expanded treatment for severely malnourished children, stronger maternal and child nutrition programmes and improved funding for nutrition interventions.

He said economic policies should ultimately be measured by their impact on households’ ability to afford basic necessities.

“Economic policy must ultimately answer a very simple question: Can the ordinary Nigerian afford to live?” he said.

The statement added that Atiku’s broader economic proposal seeks to reduce energy, transportation and production costs, strengthen domestic production and improve household purchasing power.