By Egufe Yafugborhi

UYO — A multi-stakeholder retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has renewed calls for increased funding, policy reforms, and coordinated interventions to tackle malnutrition—an issue widely regarded as a critical barrier to national development in Nigeria.

The two-day event, organized by the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), built on prior engagements and brought together state lawmakers, policy makers, and officials from key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) across Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Bauchi states.

Themed “Nutrition: Key to Health, Equity and Development in Nigeria,” the retreat aimed to evaluate progress and challenges in scaling up nutrition efforts and to promote alignment across policy, legislation, and implementation.

A communiqué issued at the end of the retreat—signed by Mohammed Bello, Deputy Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly (Chairman, Communiqué Committee), and Abubakar Saleh, Nutrition Officer with the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (Secretary), alongside seven other committee members—emphasized the urgent need to prioritize nutrition across all levels of government.

“The 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) data underscores the high burden of stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies in several focal states,” the communiqué noted.

The retreat identified multiple gaps affecting nutrition outcomes, including insufficient funding and resource allocation, weak inter-sector collaboration, limited community engagement, underutilization of media, and slow implementation of the federal government’s N774 Initiative.

Among key commitments outlined in the communiqué: Legislators pledged to increase budgetary allocations for nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions.

Support for legislation to extend paid maternity leave to six months.

Calls for state governments to invest in the Child Nutrition Fund and improve timeliness in the release and use of earmarked funds.

Plans to inaugurate and strengthen Nutrition and Food Security Committees in state legislatures.

Proposed legislation to phase out unbranded bulk edible oils to improve food safety and nutrition standards.

Stakeholders also recommended: Leveraging the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) to scale up interventions.

Encouraging local production of supplementary and therapeutic foods for the treatment and prevention of malnutrition.

Contextualizing the N774 Initiative to better align with state-specific needs.

Enhancing legislative oversight, strengthening existing nutrition policies, and ramping up public awareness campaigns.

Okoronkwo Sunday, Executive Secretary of CS-SUNN, emphasized the importance of strategic action:

“We want our children to grow up healthy. Anemia among women is a major health challenge, and we are working to prevent it by ensuring access to adequate nutrition and supplements,” he said.

Babajide Adebisi, Deputy Country Director, Nutrition International, said: “In the past year alone, over 43 million children received Vitamin A supplements across Nigeria. We want to ensure that mothers and children consistently have access to essential nutrition services.”

He stressed the need for a more holistic approach among MDAs and lawmakers to ensure lasting solutions to the problem of malnutrition.

Also speaking, Dr. Victor Obodu, Country Representative of a participating NGO, added:

“Our efforts focus on grassroots sensitization. We help communities understand the value of proper nutrition and provide access to the right education.”

The retreat marks a step forward in deepening collaboration between civil society, government, and international partners in the fight against malnutrition—an effort stakeholders say must be sustained through consistent political will and investment.