During an end-of-the-year score card assessment of UNICEF activities in Jigawa state recently, the global body commended the state government for its commitment towards the well-being of children. BAYO MUHAMMAD ALABIRA writes.
The United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) has unveiled its 2020 strategic development plan with a big ‘thank you’ to Jigawa state government for its commitment and constant payment of counterpart funding over the years which saved thousands lives of stunted children.Unauthenticated reports had it that Jigawa has the highest number of stunting children in the entire north west zone, especially in states covered by non governmental organisations. According to these reports, indices available had it that the state has moved higher from 63.4% percent to 68% percent at the moment.
Also as contained in Jigawa State Food and Nutrition Policy, it indicated that the stunting prevalence among children under five in age is 63.4 %, the highest in the whole country. It is said to be higher than the national average of 42%. These frigthening indices showed the steady increase from 53.4% in 2008 to 63.4% in 2015 which is an over- increase of 10%, respectively.
Another reason traced to be more responsible for stunting children after six months of birth in the state is due to poor feeding practices and the food quality as well as the poor food hygiene. These are the challenges found to be responsible for the stunted children as well as malnourishment in the state in recent years, a development’ which non-governmental organisations like UNICEF and others are striving hard to curb.
It has also been revealed that the nature and extent of hunger and food insecurity in Jigawa is of public health concern. From available data, the state had the worst nutrition indices in the whole country with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rate at 12.1% leading to stunting rate at 63.4%, respectively. This, however, needs the immediate action from policy makers in the state.The various health reportsAccording to the Nigerian Poverty Assessment report carried out by the National Bureau of Statistics since 2007, it showed that poverty is still wide-spread in the state with absolute poverty incidence reported to be more than 74.1% down from 90.9%, among others. Although the level is declining, but it is higher than the national average of about 61% in the country. Another report has also classified population in the state as 35.6% core poor, 5% very poor with 56% moderately poor. It explained that most of the poor households in the state are dwelling in rural areas where there are less or no social amenities to be used generally by the population. This always happen at the core remote areas that are hard to be reached.
UNICEF report in a UNICEF end-of-the year reviewed programme and handing over, the new field office in Kano with Jigawa inclusive held at 3 Star Dutse, Annefrida Kisesa, chief of fields operation UNICEF Nigeria told journalists that the entire meeting was meant to review what they had done from January to December 2019. “This will enable us to see where we had achieved and where we had hitches and know how to make amendment in line with our designed programmes.”
Also Mr Bhanu Pathak, Bauchi chief field office said they had gathered all the field officers, technical people, technical inspectors, 25 to 28 people from UNICEF in order to review their achievements so far made throughout the 2019. He further explained how they had made impact in areas of human endeavour. “We discussed all the issues, all the activities, all the challenges and other problems. We also gathered all the MDAs for this,” he said.
“In UNICEF, we are a team; we are nine field officers, wherever we are, whether in Bauchi, Kano, Sokoto and Abuja. Officers come and go but the programme did not change. Now, the responsibility of Jigawa state has gone back to Kano Field office”, he explained. `
According to him, the meeting in Dutse is another miles stone developments because they have to discuss what their future achievements would be and what they have to do in the state in order to save the lives of stunting children.
“We have to work out a special plan for 2020 with participation of all the MDAs, RUWASA managers with emphasis on health, education, nutrition, child protection and special policy planning, economic and budget planning.
“We prepared key activities for 2020 in draft form. We are looking forward for more comprehensive collaboration with the Jigawa state government. It is the only state that I don’t have to struggle for its commitments. When we came here last year, I complained about counterpart funding, that is why we have heavy participation of RUWASA and Nutrition in Jigawa state compared to other states under the UNICEF coverage,” he stressed.
Pathak further explained that there are future programmmes which UNICEF would continue to carrying out in the state.
“We promised to continue with all the programmes in Jigawa state; we are in the field of child protection, scientific and social policy. I hope it will grow in the future in the state because it is a big programme and investment in Jigawa state.
He emphasized further that, “We are happy with the cooperation of Jigawa state government and the support we enjoyed from Bauchi Field Office. We are also happy with the progress we are seeing in various areas in Jigawa state especilly in the areas of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Nutrition.”
Therefore, he further stated that UNICEF’s programme is children’s live-saving related which also includes education, health and social protection-related matters, especially on WASH and nutrition policy with a view to saving lives of children under ages of five and children of six months old, among others.
According to Jigawa state food and nutrition policy, stunting in children affects their way of life throughout. Experts say giving young children good and healthy food with vitamin and full nutrition support can help them to grow alongside their ages, otherwise, there would be problem in their future lives. The consequence is that affected children cannot compete favourably with their counterpart children that had good nutrition in their young ages.
The policy document says, “Stunting in children reflects chronic under-nutrition during the most critical periods of growth and development in early life of children less than 24 months of age. Stunting negatively and permanently affects their health status, learning and productivity. It affects the health and cognitive development of children with implications across the full life cycle and as a result negatively implicating on national economic development in the long run”.
It has also been disclosed that stunting children are always at high risk of being affected or infected by all sorts of diseases in their life time. At the same time, these children are also liable to the risk of death several times than the healthy children that had enjoyed the comfort of being fed well with energetic food a child requires to grows in his early stage.
A severely stunting child, according to report, faces four times higher risk of dying and a severely wasted child is nine times at a higher risk of dying.Also it has been observed that underweight children of under five years of age in the state is said to be higher compared to children from other part of the country. Although the number of under-weight children in the state is said to be on the decline compared to the percentage the state occupied in the past. Therefore, the figure has said to be dropping from higher percentage to lower percentage in the state.
In 2008, 51% of children under five years of age were estimated to be under- weight in the state, a rate higher than both the north west region and national estimate of 35 and 23% respectively. The 2015 estimate in the state shows a reduction in the indicator to 40.6% but is still significantly greater than both regional 32% and national 19% average of 2008 to 2015.
