Nutrition crisis in Bauchi, the urgent need to save the children through CNF
By Samuel Luka,
Bauchi
According to indicators, Bauchi state is one of the states with a very high number of malnurished children, which requires the urgent need for the state government to key into the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) initiative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to save the children, some of who are severely acute or moderately malnourished from dying.
In Bauchi state, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) reported a significant and alarming surge in malnutrition cases, with admissions increasing by over 120% rise in patient numbers between January and June 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, prompting MSF to expand its activities and community-based programs.
The humanitarian organization had while expressing concerns about the “catastrophic increase in malnutrition admissions in Bauchi, also suggested for an expanded response from state representatives, international and national stakeholders to address the crisis.
“We are very alarmed by the catastrophic increase in malnutrition admissions we have seen in Bauchi in the first half of 2024,” said Rabi Adamou, MSF project coordinator for Bauchi had said in a press statement.
Speaking to newsmen recently, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Chief of Field Office Bauchi, Nuzhat Rafique said, one of the most important ways of addressing malnutrition is to have nutrition supplies and nutrition programmes for the children, including the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF).
“As you know, Bauchi is one of the states that indicators are very very bad. I will say that malnutrition is very high. Malnutrition in itself is an indication of multiple problems”, she said.
Rafique who observed that child malnutrition occur due to multiple factors relating to sanitation, health system, poverty and inadequate food availability, noted that cultural and social practices and how mothers feed their babies using local food, among others also matters.
She recalled that after a recent meeting between the UNICEF, ministry of budget and economic planning, state legislatures and chairmen of all the 20 LGAs of Bauchi state held in Jos, Plateau state, a communique was signed, that they will contribute towards the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF).
“You know, child nutrition fund is a beautiful scheme that is manage by the UNICEF but the donors are the UK government, Bill Gates and Child Investment Foundation Fund. So these are the partners who joined hands together and make this child nutrition fund”, she explained.
Rafique who pointed out that, Gombe gave N160 million and was matched to child nutrition fund, added that with more than N300 million the UNICEF procured the RUTF and supplied to various primary healthcare centers across the state which help in the recovery of the children from malnutrition.
“Similarly in Adamawa, they have already provided N100 million that we matched and brought Small Quantity Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) for them”, Rafique added.
She further noted that, this year, Adamawa state government has already committed N300 million and the UNICEF is in the process of matching the grant and bringing the supply for them.
“So these are the examples from the neighboring states but unfortunately, Bauchi has not contributed anything yet”, she said.
Rafique who explained that for the implementation of child nutrition fund CNF, UNICEF Bauchi Field office have three focal states to include Bauchi, Gombe and Adamawa, expressed delight that even Plateau state which is not one of the focal states have put money in it.
She said out of the five states, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba and Plateau that made up the Bauchi Field office, three of the states, Bauchi, Gombe and Adamawa were selected as focal states for the CNF.
According to her, when the UNICEF requested for the CNF, Gombe and Adamawa responded immediately and supplies were made to their various health facilities after their grants were put into the matching fund.
“We extended this invitation to Taraba and Plateau states which we are not financially supporting, but only technically supporting, Plateau responded excellently and have already received SQ-LNS”, she said.
“I went to Taraba state and they promised that this year they are going to put in N300 million, and I am sure they will do it because of the way they are committed”, Rafique added.
She however said, given the commitment of the Bauchi state government, UNICEF is hopeful that Governor Bala Mohammed of the state and the commissioner of budget and economic planning would also respond positively and swiftly to address the nutrition crisis.
“We met and discussed this nutrition issue, they feel for the people, the Bauchi state government also felt for the children and I had experience where directly, His Excellency announced monies, fathers for good health for example and he made it available that day and I am praying that we get this child nutrition fund matching grant also from Bauchi state government as we have gotten from Gombe and Adamawa”, she said.
While cautioning that moderately malnourished child can go into severe acute malnutrition any time, making it difficult to retrieve them, Rafique explained that more than 50 percent of children are suffering from moderate malnutrition in Bauchi and may get severe and possibly die if they are not brought back to normal.
“It is extremely sensitive and extremely critical for the children of Bauchi state to have this nutrition supplies and nutrition programmes. I want to use this opportunity to beg the state government of Bauchi to do something for these children”, she said.
“For example in 2024 N2.1 billion was allocated for RUTF, can you imagine if that N2.1 billion was given for the matching grant, it could have been used to provide RUTF and it could have treated 10,000 children in Bauchi out of around 34,000 children who need the support”, she stressed.
According to her, if the government of Bauchi state had given N4.2 billion in 2024 and 2025, the lives of 20,000 children who are at risk could have been saved.
Rafique while congratulating Bauchi state for the recent launch of nutrition plan, a federal government initiative, said, already, UNICEF is supporting eight LGAs in Bauchi state in the areas of nutrition, sanitation, health, birthrate registration, among others.
“We are trying to support technically, financially to some extent, bringing in other partners, going to communities, leveraging their personal contribution in terms of social mobilization, communication for better behaviors, infant and child feeding behaviors, child immunization, childbirth registration and sanitation”, Nuzhat Rafique stated.
She pledged the commitment of UNICEF to assisting the LGAs where federal allocation is been pushed directly with technical support.
“We will support them at the LGA level and we will provide them with figure for their LGAs, situation in their LGA and where it needs to be allocated, where they need the funds to be allocated to protect the social sector”, she assured.
Rafique stressed that “the implementation of this multi-sectorial nutrition plan is very much in line with what we are doing in Toro local government area and other seven LGAs. To prevent children from going into severe acute malnutrition, UNICEF is helping mothers to learn how to monitor their children through mama2mama and fathers4good health groups”, she explained.
“These people help in mobilizing communities and mothers understand how to feed their babies, there are facilitators, social mobilizers, volunteers, community mobilizers who teaches the mothers on how to monitor their children and all over the world that is the best and sustainable way to prevent children malnutrition”, Rafique disclosed.
She added that the mothers are taught on how to provide good food, exclusive breastfeeding, perfect weaning and diversity of food using local food materials that are not expensive or unaffordable.
Our Correspondent who visited Primary Healthcare Centers in Miri, Kofar Ran and Yelwa discovered that children suffering from malnutrition are been brought for treatment, but with no availability of Ready-to-use theuraphatic Food (RUTF).
A health official in Miri primary healthcare center informed our Correspondent that the RUTF has not been supplied to the center in the last two years and what they do is to refer patients to Kafin Madaki hospital in Ganjuwa local government area of Bauchi state for medical attention.
However, the Executive Chairman of Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed while responding to the situation, said government is doing everything possible to address it.
“It is not that we refused to do something about it nor the Governor refused to approve the matching fund. We are in the process of preparing the memo, very soon, it will be presented to the Governor for approval”, he said.
Dr. Muhammad who acknowledged that the UNICEF has sent a letter requesting for the funding, assured that the government is working on it.
“They told us that if we give N100m they will give N200m, it will be joined together to procure the required food nutrients. We will give the N100m and they will give N200m, that is the contents of the letter”, he explained further.
Dr. Mohammed who acknowledged that other States in the Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF, Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau and Taraba have paid except Bauchi, said he is the one that has not written the memo to the Governor for approval.
“It was me that has not written the memo, not that the Governor refused to pay. Now, I am writing, I have proposed a bill which I am going to send to the Governor as soon as he comes back for approval”, he assured.
Rilwanu Mohammed added that, there is the issue of Vitamin A supplementation, deworming of children and others which we are going to tackle. Now we have 54 CMA centers, they were 33 before, we added 19, we are going to start work in these places. We are receiving 100,000 cartons of RUTF from Abuja but we are to do a training before the distribution.”
