by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
The Plateau State Government has procured 5,392 cartons of Small-Quantity Lipid-Baeemsed Nutrient Supplement (SQ-LNS) from UNICEF, in its efforts to combat malnutrition among the vulnerable populace in the state. At least 15,000 children are expected to benefit from this gesture.
The items were received during the launch of the SQ-LNS by the Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Ngo Josephine Piyo, who represented Governor Caleb Mutfwang at new Government House, Little Rayfield Jos, on Monday.
“We acknowledge the laudable initiative of UNICEF in the Child Nutrition Match Fund mechanism that allowed them to avert irreversible damage to the cognitive, intellectual, and physical development of our children.
“Plateau State is pleased to be part of this child-lens investment in preventing malnutrition in children. We understand that the key to good health and mental development is appropriate complementary feeding, rich in the correct micronutrients, following exclusive nursing during the first six months of life,” the DG stated.
She noted that, “Having recognized the importance of good and adequate nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life, the State reiterates its commitment to foster significant long-term impacts on children through the implementation of cost-effective nutrition interventions aimed at saving lives and averting childhood suffering.
“Today, we witness yet another groundbreaking moment of the Time Is Now administration that matches words with actions by improving the well-being of the people and building on its successes in the nutrition subsector,” she stressed.
“This initiative aims to prevent malnutrition among children, aged 6-23 months, and will support dietary supplementation for 80,000 children across the state for 5 months.
“We are reminding ourselves that the choices we make today directly shape the future of our children, families, and communities, as daily consumption of the SQ-LNS amounts to taking a strong stand against malnutrition, chronic diseases, and preventable illnesses,” she stated.
The Deputy Governor added that, “Malnutrition is a nationwide problem, aggravated by security challenges, which exposed our vulnerabilities as a people.”
She pledged that the administration will continue to mobilize resources to tackle malnutrition and put Plateau in a better standing to ensure the optimal nutrition status of its citizens, and urged everyone, stakeholders, partners, and community leaders, to join in this effort.
“Government cannot do it alone; we need to work together as a collective force to raise awareness about the nutritional needs of our children in the first 1,000 days of life,” she said.
The DG appreciated UNICEF for the partnership they enjoyed not only in Nutrition, but in Basic Education, Health, Social Protection, and Communication for Development, adding, “Together, we can create a better Plateau.”
Speaking earlier at the launch, Commissioner for Ministry of Budget, Plateau State, Hon. Adams Bulus Lekshak, said Nigeria has the highest number of people (31 million), who do not know where there next meal will come from, and 2nd highest number of malnourished children in the world.
He noted that, “Two (2) out of 3 children of 6-23 months suffer from child food property, while 2 out of 3 children are not exclusively breastfed for 6 months.”
According to him, total population of nutrition situation of Plateau State, 167,700 are number of births, 303,432 child 2 years, 858,478 children of 5 years, while 2,510,385 are female and 46.4 percent children are stunted; 4.8 percent children are wasted.
The Commissioner further explained further that, under 5 mortality in the state,105 deaths per 1,000 lives births. So, the state is off-track for SDG 3, while number of children living with malnutrition in the state Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) 5,800, Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) 53,539, Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) 59,339 and stunting is 326,678.
He said, “To meet the minimum dietary diversity for health growth and development, children need to consume at least 5 out of 8 defined food groups, because, if children are fed only 0-4 food groups/day, they are living in child food poverty.
“To kick-start this effort, the governor approved an allocation of $200,000, which was matched by UNICEF. Together, this partnership has resulted in the procurement of 5,392 cartons of Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplement (SQ-LNS),” Hon. Adams Lekshak stated.
He noted that, “This is an essential step towards combating malnutrition, particularly among children aged 6-23 months in the State. This initial batch of SQ-LNS will provide dietary supplementation for 80,000 infants over the next five months.
“However, it is important to recognize that there are 141,519 eligible children across the State, and this is just the first-phase of intervention. We need to work together, as a collective force, to raise awareness about the nutritional needs of our children in the first 1,000 days of life.”
The UNICEF Country Representative to Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed, expressed happiness to see mothers and their children, assuring that “UNICEF is fully committed to support efforts of communities,” and called for action and commitment to address the issue of malnutrition in children.
While noting that, “It is very important to invest in children,” she appreciated the leadership of the Government of Plateau State, saying, “More than 15,000 children are to benefit from the SQ-LNS.”
The Country Representative also confirmed that “Plateau State Government, in 2024, committed 200,000 US dollars. It is really a significant amount of resources. UNICEF, as an agency, also focused on children. We have set up a mechanism, called, the ‘Child Nutrition Fund,’ which allows states and governments to double their commitment.
“Whatever commitment is made by the state is matched by the fund. And this has really resulted in a lot of progress. I think the next member, the director of the board of directors of the California Institute of Health, came forward to say that this is the most effective way, because we can put children on the same footpath in this country’s health care system. And the government has succeeded in making this relationship – this very prestigious initiative.
“We have started a series of campuses over the last 10 years, and now we are leading our own community-based initiative, and we are having conversations, where we have all the tools we need. We have the resources to do this.
“We are doing all the things we can – breastfeeding for the first six months, starting breastfeeding in the first hour; and also I think, as we were driving by the car, my colleagues were telling me how Plateau State is a place where a lot of food is grown.
“So, we are also looking at solutions where how the local manufacturing can produce food that is nutritious, that is available, and that is affordable. And since Plateau State also has this ability and blessing to produce more, it means, it can also support other states and even support other parts. So, this is really fantastic,” she stated.