UNICEF champions seek action to combat malnutrition in Katsina

UNICEF Global Champions, Ali Nuhu and Sadau Ramah, on Thursday lamented over the large number of children facing malnutrition in Katsina State.

At a press conference in the state metropolitan area, the duo called on stakeholders to intensify efforts to tackle the problem to reduce the child mortality rate.

According to recent UNICEF data, the state has one of the highest malnutrition prevalence rates amongst children under five in the country (SMART survey August 2022).

Also, the Oxford Policy Management (OPM) in its Nutritional Smart survey of 2018, said 58 percent of Katsina children have stunting challenges, 34 percent are underweight, and 3.0 percent of them have Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).

Consequently, more than half of the children between 0-5 years in the state, are said to be malnourished.

This high number of malnourished children has reportedly led to a rise in the number of cases in healthcare centers in several parts of the state.

To address the situation, the state government and UNICEF on Wednesday procured nutritional supplements worth N400 million for distribution to 8,000 malnourished children across the state.

Speaking, Nuhu said they had gone to several councils in the state and what they had seen in terms of several malnourished children, was pathetic.

“What we saw was pathetic. We even noticed rise in number of children being brought to health centers because they were malnourished,” Nuhu said.

He said the cases are connected with the economic realities being faced by many families in the state and other parts of the country.

He added that, “There is need for stakeholders, including state government, to urgently intensify efforts to address the situation.”

Sadau also called on stakeholders not to rest in their effort to tackle the problem to secure a better future for children in the state.