The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, has sensitised women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on the importance of nutrition and access to a balanced diet.
The sensitisation programme, which took place in Gidan Mangoro, along Karshi Road, Abuja, was part of the 2023 nutrition week organised by the Nutrition Society of Nigeria with the theme: “Climate Change Impact on Food and Nutrition Security.”
While speaking to journalists, the head of Food and Nutrition in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Chito Nelson, said the event was to raise awareness of the importance of nutrition and advised the women to ensure that their households have access to a balanced diet.
While speaking further, she said the theme of the sensitization was apt as it reflected the current crisis that is being faced globally’’.
Similarly, the representative of the Nutrition Department, Ministry of Health, Mrs Yvonne Yinfaowei, stressed the importance of breastfeeding in the first few months of a child’s life.
Yinfaowei said the current economic challenges have brought to the fore the need to ensure children are given the right diet.
‘’We are creating awareness for the mothers on how to identify when their child grows up to be retarded. We will take it from there to the treatment; if the child is malnourished, we will educate the mother on the kind of diet for the baby. Because of COVID-19 and the food shortage, the number of malnourished children has increased, which is devastating to us as health workers.
“That is why we are working hard, creating awareness, and educating the mothers on what to do and how to identify when their child is falling into being nourished.”. She said
The Senior Programme Officer, Nutrition International, Nigeria, Amina Atta, said Nigeria is still far from achieving its sustainable development goal of food security.
She also explained that the organisation was working with six states in the northwest—Kano, Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi, and Enugu to improve maternal and child health.
According to her, Kano and Sokoto have the highest incidence of diarrhoea, at 20% and 37%, respectively, and she attributes it to a lack of access to quality food.
“Kano and Sokoto states are truly committed to food diversity. In these states, when mothers fail to provide the right quality of food, children may develop diarrhoea, a major contributing factor to malnutrition. This could lead to severe acute malnutrition (SAM), requiring the child’s admission to a SAM centre for treatment, as they might be malnourished within a week.”
Atta further advocated the use of zinc supplements to improve diarrhoea in children under the age of five and for women to be empowered to make decisions that would be beneficial to their households.
The Representative of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Audu Paul, who emphasised the need for portable water to prevent diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and diarrhoea, said access to potable water in Nigeria was at 69%.
‘’Government has been at the forefront of driving that process to ensure that every citizen has access to safe drinking water. So in the ministry and government, a lot of activities are going on to improve the situation. But, however, there are little challenges here and there,’’ he maintained.
The event had in attendance the ministries of Water Resources, Women’s Affairs, Health and Social Welfare, Humanitarian Affairs, Agriculture, Science and Technology, as well as Budget and Economic Planning.
Meanwhile, the FCT Nutrition Coordinator, Mrs Clementina Okoro, called on the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government to establish nutrition departments for the good of society.
Okoro said in FCT only three MDAs have a nutrition department, while Nasarawa has 10 and therefore urged other states to establish one.
‘’We have at least not less than three MDs that have a nutrition department. And then we’re also hopeful that in the FCT and another state, in fact, in some states as well. I know that some of the states, even our neighbouring states here, the Nasarawa states, already have nutrition departments that are in about 10 different sectors.” She added.
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