Jigawa State Released N80m To Fight Malnutrition

By Umar Akilu Majeri Dutse

Jigawa State has domesticated the national nutrition policy which lead the state to establish local government committees on food and nutrition as well as technical committee down to the ward level across the 27 local government areas of the state.

This was disclosed by the Deputy director of state nutrition office, Jigawa State Ministry of Health, Alhaji Magaji Uba, who represented the director healthcare agency, Dr Shehu Sambo, during a stakeholders meeting at manpower development agency on nutrition.

The director said 91 percent of Jigawa population leave in rural areas and the state dedicate its budgets in line with MDS and local governments in the state are fully engaged in supporting the issues of Nutrition in the state.

He then confirmed that each member of the state assembly representing the local governments has committed to give out their contribution of five million naira each to support the nutrition programme in the state.

Dr Sambo further explained that the sum of eighty million naira (N80m) was released by the Jigawa state government to all the 27 local government areas in the state with a view to fighting malnutrition in the state under Masaki Foundation. This will provide nutritious food to malnourished children in the state.

also speaking on the matter, Malam Suleiman Zakari, who is also a director at Ministry of Justice in the state representing the permanent secretary of the ministry, challenged the members and all stakeholders at the gathering for not doing what they supposed to do.

He challenged them that instated of wasting their time and delivering lectures, there is a simple way that they could use to address the problem of malnutrition. He pointed out that propaganda could not solve the malnutrition problem, but if the NGOs and government are serious right from pregnancy period down to birth period they should provide nutritious foods to families with a view to achieving the set goals.

While making the royal contribution, the Sa’I of Dutse, who is a traditional title holder in Dutse emirate and also chief imam of 744 Juma’at Mosque, Shiekh Malam Abdullahi Yunusa, said the emirate has in recent times upgraded its efforts in educating women to fight malnutrition in the state.