by The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, has sensitized women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on the importance of nutrition and access to a balanced diet.
The sensitization programme, which took place in Gidan Mangoro, along Karshi Road, Abuja, was part of the 2023 nutrition week organized by the Nutrition Association of Nigeria with the theme: “Impact of Climate Change on Food and Nutrition Security.”
Speaking to journalists, the head of Food and Nutrition in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Chito Nelson, said the event was to raise awareness of the importance of nutrition and advised the women to ensure that their families have access to equity. diet.
Speaking further, she said that the theme of sensitization was appropriate because it reflected the current crisis that is being faced around the world.
Similarly, the representative of the Department of Nutrition, Ministry of Health, Mrs. Yvonne Yinfaowei, emphasized the importance of breastfeeding in the first few months of a child’s life.
Yinfaowei said the current economic challenges brought to the fore the need to ensure children are fed the right diet.
”We are creating awareness for the mothers on how to recognize when their child grows up to be retarded. We will take it from there to the treatment; if the child is malnourished, we will educate the mother on the type of diet for the child. Due to COVID-19 and the food shortage, the number of malnourished children has increased, which is alarming for us as health workers.
“That is why we are working hard, creating awareness, and educating mothers on what to do and how to recognize when their baby is failing to feed.”. She said
The Senior Program Officer, Nutrition International, Nigeria, Amina Atta, said that Nigeria is still far from achieving its sustainable development goal in terms of food security.
She further explained that the organization was working with six states in the north-west – Kano, Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi, and Enugu to improve the health of mothers and children.
According to her, Kano and Sokoto have the highest incidence of diarrhoea, at 20% and 37%, respectively, which she attributes to lack of access to quality food.
“Kano and Sokoto states are really committed to food diversity. In these states, when mothers fail to provide the right quality of food, children can get diarrhoea, which contributes significantly to malnutrition. This can lead to severe acute malnutrition (SAM), which would require the child to be admitted to a SAM center for treatment, as they may become malnourished within a week.”
Atta also recommended the use of zinc supplements to improve diarrhea in children under the age of five and empower women to make decisions that would benefit their families.
The Representative of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Audu Paul, who emphasized the need for portable water to prevent diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea, said that access to potable water in Nigeria was 69%.
“The Government has been at the forefront of promoting that process to ensure that all citizens have access to safe drinking water. So in the ministry and the government, many activities are underway to improve the situation. However, there are few challenges here and there,” he said.
The ministries of Water Resources, Women’s Affairs, Health and Social Welfare, Humanitarian Affairs, Agriculture, Science and Technology, as well as Budget and Economic Planning were present at the event.
Meanwhile, the FCT Nutrition Coordinator, Clementina Okoro, has called on the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government to establish nutrition departments for the benefit of the society.
Okoro said in FCT the department of nutrition has only three MDAs, while Nasarawa has 10 so he urged other states to establish one.
”We have at least three MDs who have a nutrition department. And then we are also hopeful that in the FCT and other states, in fact, in some states as well. I know that some of the states, even our neighboring states here, Nasarawa state, already have nutrition departments in about 10 different sectors. on her.
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