This was stated by Bhanu Pathak, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Nigeria, Bauchi Field Office, represented by the Nutritionist Specialist, Bauchi field office, Philomena Irene, at the Advocacy and Capacity Building Workshop for Jigawa State House of Assembly Legislators held in Kano, Kano State.
She explained a recent SMART Survey conducted revealed that Jigawa is still one of the States that has a stunting growth rate in the country with -54% rate.
“In every 10 children in Jigawa state 5 of them are in a danger of poor brain and internal organs development which are critical for the future productivity of individuals and for the economic competitiveness of the state,” she stated.
Irene pointed out that although the state is recording a tremendous success in fighting the menace from 63.10 per cent to 54.10 per cent, more needed to be done to address the problems.
She identified negligence and lack of care for the children during childhood and adolescence as some of the reasons that complicates the health and nutritional status of the individual.
“Investing in the early years is one of the smartest investments a State can make to break the cycle of poverty, address inequality, and boost productivity later in life,” she noted.
The UNICEF Nutrition Specialist urged the legislatures to track the release and implementation of allocated budget for Health and Nutrition in 2019 budget.
