The wife of Nasarawa state governor, Silifat Abdullahi Sule, Friday, advocated proper nutrition for pregnant women and nursing mothers in the state.
She stated this Lafia, at a one day high level advocacy and policy dialogue on the Nutrition situation in Nasarawa state, organised by the Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in partnership with the Nasarawa state government.
The first lady who was represented by Hajiya Zainab Aliyu-Ubandoma, wife of the secretary to the Nasarawa state government, said she was particularly concerned about pregnant women and nursing mothers, “because their babies depended on them to survive hence the need for the group to put into practice proper nutrition at all times.”
Silifat said a nation cannot be healthy without proper feeding of its citizens, and the best way to build a healthy society is from pregnancy and childbirth, hence the call for pregnant women and nursing mothers to prioritise proper nutrition for the sake of themselves, their babies and the society.
She expressed her support for the nutrition action plan which she said would address the problem of malnutrition in the state.
According to her, “Exclusive breastfeeding, proper intake of balance diet will go a long way in contributing to the good health of the pregnant women, mothers and their babies and the society by extension.”
She therefore, commended the CS-SUNN, and the stakeholders’ effort in entrenching the culture of proper nutrition among the residents of the state.
In her remark Executive secretary CS-SUNN Mrs. Beatrice Eluaka, said the society had been at the forefront of advocacy of good health and reduction of malnutrition in the country.
She called on policy makers in the state to expedite action to ensure full implementation of the state’s Multi-sectoral Strategic Plan Action on Nutrition (NSMSPAN).
Also, coordinator of CS-SUNN in Nasarawa state Mrs. Mercy Asso, called for improved funding for nutrition in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in line with costed state strategic plan of action for nutrition.
She said release of allocated funds was key to reducing and eliminating malnutrition in the state.
