By Chioma Obinna

Lafia—Wife of Governor Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa State, Hajiaya Salamatu Tanko Almakura, has decried the high level of malnutrition in the state, with 37 percent of Nigerian children stunted.

File: Bama IDP Camp: A Mother , Yakana from Kanuri with her baby at Bama IDP Camp in Maiduguri during Minister’s Tour of Bama . Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.

Speaking during a one-day sensitisation meeting on malnutrition for Nasarawa State policy makers, organised by Civil Society Scalling-up Nutrition in Nigeria, CS-SUNN, on the platform of Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health, PACFaH, in Lafia, Mrs Almakura said: “Even though Nigeria has in recent years made progress in local food, the poor nutrition status of Nigerian children has been a major concern. 37 percent of children under five in Nigeria are classified as stunted. This rate is the highest in sub-Saharan Africa and second in the world.

“To address this, the government through Federal Ministry of Health working with key stakeholders came up with the 2014-2018 National Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition (NSPAN) — a costed plan that targets priority intervention areas that will drastically reduce stunting rate by 20 percent , a 15 percent reduction in low birth weight, and 50 percent increase in exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life.”