Food Insecurity: Lagos, Borno, Kadua Top List In Nigeria

,,,,,,A recent Cadre Harmonisé report reveals that 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria, encompassing 17.6 million people, are currently grappling with food and nutrition insecurity.

The report identifies Lagos, Borno, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa, and Kano states as having the highest number of individuals experiencing food and nutrition insecurity.

……During a Two Day Media Dialogue on Child Malnutrition in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, UNICEF’s Nutrition Officer, Nkeiru Enwelum, highlighted the top five food and nutrition insecure states between March and May of this year: Lagos (1,596,099), Borno (1,553,499), Katsina (1,314,123), Kaduna (1,222,929), Jigawa (1,063,633), and Kano (1,006,542).

Enwelum urged increased investment in nutrition and called on all levels of government to provide interventions and domestic funding for nutrition across Nigeria.

The report also revealed that approximately 3 million children in Nigeria are malnourished.

Enwelum emphasized the need for quick interventions, such as releasing budgeted funds for nutrition, which can enhance child survival and socio-economic contributions to society.

……She expressed concern that Nigeria is currently off track in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) by 2030, which aims to achieve zero hunger.

Dr. Geoffrey Njoku, UNICEF’s Communication Specialist, echoed the call for increased budget allocation for nutrition and the timely release of funds from the government.

He emphasized that malnutrition remains a significant problem in Nigeria, particularly for children, and government funding is crucial to addressing the issue.

,,,,,,Najaatu Hassan, Head of the Child Rights Information Department of the Federal Ministry of Information, also advocated for increased government funding for nutrition to ensure that malnutrition is eradicated among children, allowing a focus on other areas of child survival.