Hardship: Federal Govt confirms over 4million kids malnourished in Nigeria

The Federal Government has disclosed that more than four million kids in the Northeast and Northwest are malnourished.

The head of the Nutrition Department in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyebusi, said this on Wednesday at a five-day meeting with nutrition experts and other stakeholders in the Keffi local government area of Nasarawa State.

According to NAN, the meeting is being held by the ministry with the help of CS-SUNN and other nutrition partners to work on a strategy policy for advocating nutrition in Nigeria.

The meeting began on Tuesday and will probably end on Saturday.

The meeting is being held with the help of diet experts, academics, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

In her opening comments, Bako-Aiyebusi said that the meeting would come up with policy guidelines to help Nigeria deal with its eating problems.

Also, she said that Nigeria is currently going through a very bad triple load of malnutrition, which means that a lot of people aren’t getting enough macro and micronutrients, eating too much, or both. This has a big effect on health and on the country’s economic and social growth.

“In addition, the 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey report shows that nearly 4.4 million children in the Northeast and Northwest regions are malnourished.

“Identified causes of malnutrition include inadequate access to food, poor food consumption, improper feeding and caring practices, economic and political structures, low economic status, inadequate health-seeking behaviors and low level of education among the populace,” she said.