Mrs Mercy Asso, CS -SUNN Coordinator, Nasarawa State after a courtesy call on nutrition stakeholders in Lafia. (Credit: Collins Arinze).
Collins Arinze, Lafia
The Civil Society Scaling – Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS – SUNN), says the burden of nutrition in Nasarawa State is bigger than the intervention, as 37 out of every 100 children are malnourished in the state.
Mrs Mercy Asso, CS -SUNN Coordinator, Nasarawa State, made this disclosure on Saturday in Lafia, when she led a team on a courtesy visit to some of the nutrition champions in the state.
The ‘nutrition champions’ are critical stakeholders identified by CS-SUNN to enhance its advocacy towards tackling malnutrition.
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According to her, the visit is to reawaken the nutrition champions to their responsibilities and to redouble their efforts in the fight against malnutrition, noting that there is huge burden of malnutrition in the state.
She reminded the nutrition champions of the enormous task ahead, urging them to use their positions and voices to influence and ensure policies and decisions were in favour of nutrition issues in the state.
“In every 100 children you see in the street 37 of them are malnourished, and this is not good, so we want the nutrition champions to take this task beyond where it is now to the point where your influence can be felt.
“The visit is to see how you can deploy your potentials in every fora you find yourself to influence decisions on nutrition issues, such as improved budget for nutrition and timely release of funds main for nutrition.
“One of the factors identified is that the burden of malnutrition in the state is bigger than the intervention we are receiving, if you are going to make any meaningful progress, the degree of interventions have to measure up,” she said.
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Also, while commending the state government, individuals and other stakeholders, she said what was given out was not sufficient to create meaningful impact because the burden of malnutrition was high in the state.
Responding, Mrs Hadiza Sabo, State Chairperson, Market Women Association and a nutrition champion, promised to use her position as a leader of market women to influence policy decisions in favour of nutrition issues in the state.
Also, Mr Idris Ojoko, Youth Council Chairman, Nasarawa State and a nutrition champion, admitted that he had not done much in the past.
He promised to recover the lost ground towards promoting nutrition in the state.
Ojoko assured the team that he would meet with the other nutrition champions to brainstorm on way forward and how to use their positions to influence decisions on nutrition issues in the state.
The Dune reports that the CS-SUNN nutrition champions form a strong support of organisational advocacy pushing for change both at the national and state levels.
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