UNICEF spends N803m on 129,396 malnourished Jigawa kids

By Bayo Alabira

About N803 million has been spent in taking care of 129,396 children below the age of five with various degrees of malnutrition problems in 12 selected local government areas of Jigawa state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tafida Abubakar, disclosed this while addressing stakeholders during an advocacy visit to the Ministry for Local Governments by UNICEF officials from Bauchi state who were led by Regional Director, Mr Abdulai Kaikai.

He said the treatment was done under Community-Base Management of Acute Malnutrition programme (CMAM) funded by the state in collaboration with UNICEF, ACF and other donor agencies.
Abubakar said 20 per cent of the children below five years in the state and the entire North-west were under weight in the state, adding that it “is one of the major contributing factors to the high rate of children mortality.”
He also commended the UNICEF for its concern and contributions to planning, funding and management of the malnutrition crisis in the state and other parts of the world.

The Chief Nutrition Officer, NPHCDC UNICEF, Mr Oluseyi Olusunde, said in the last three years over 800,000 children with malnutrition cases were treated under the supervision of UNICEF in Jigawa.
“UNICEF is spending N10, 000 in treating each child for the period of eight weeks, while the state government is only expected to contribute N300.”