The Civil Society and Scalingup Nutrition in Nigeria (CSSUNN) has commended the Nasarawa state government for its commitment to addressing malnutrition in the state.
Executive Secretary (CSSUNN), Mrs. Beatrice Eluaka, made the commendation yesterday in Lafia during a one day media engagement to improve salience of nutrition policy and funding on the agenda of Nasarawa state.
She explained that one of such efforts is evident in the budgetary allocations made to nutrition by the state government, adding that the state also recorded some progress on the implementation of the National Strategy Plan of Nutrition as evident in CSSUNN’s performance scorecard in 2016 which scored the state, 56.8 per cent in the implementation of the plan.
Beatrice also charged the Nasarawa state government to continue to prioritise nutrition and ensure timely release of funds allocated to nutrition in order to scale up nutrition interventions in the state.
“We want to draw attention to the fact that the burden of malnutrition in Nasarawa state is much bigger than the nutrition allocation in the state.
“The attendant non- release of funding allocated to nutrition also worsens the situation, thus making it impossible to reverse the disturbing statistics on malnutrition in Nasarawa state.’’ She stressed that government needs to provide clarity in budgeting for nutrition to include preventive interventions which will prevent more children from becoming malnourished and ensure that cured children do not relapse upon discharged from the treatment centres, as is currently the case in many communities.
The Executive Secretary further charged the government of Nasarawa to improve on the implementation of existing nutrition policies in the state.
She urged the media to step up reportage of nutrition issues to draw the attention of policy makers and concerned stakeholders on the urgent need to take right steps towards curbing malnutrition in Nigeria, particularly in Nasarawa state.
