17.7 million Nigerians suffer from hunger, while an additional 1 million people are confronted with
Among this group, around one million individuals are facing acute food insecurity, a term used to describe those who are hungry and uncertain about where their next meal will come from.
Nkeiru Enwelum, a Nutrition Officer representing the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), shared this information during a two-day media dialogue on nutrition financing in Nigeria. The event was organized by the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation in partnership with UNICEF.
She also pointed out that Lagos, Borno, Katsina, and Kano are the states with the highest population of individuals facing food insecurity in the country. Furthermore, she expressed her concern about the widespread issue of malnutrition in Nigeria.
Enwelum observed that Nigeria may be on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target related to exclusive breastfeeding by 2030, but it remains behind schedule in reaching SDG2, which focuses on zero hunger.
Currently, she highlighted that approximately 35 million children in Nigeria suffer from malnutrition, making the country home to the highest number of affected children in Africa and the second-highest in the world. "Out of this figure, about 12 million children are stunted," she added.
She ascribed the substantial malnutrition challenge in the nation to factors such as poverty, lack of awareness, and insufficient budget allocation for nutrition.
In an earlier statement, Geoffrey Njoku, a Communication Specialist at UNICEF, expressed his concern that both federal and state governments do not allocate sufficient funds to combat the rising rates of malnutrition in the country. He further emphasized the high prevalence of malnutrition in Nigeria, underscoring the importance of closing funding gaps through local resource mobilization and heightened media awareness.
Leave A Comment