By Philip Yatai

Nutrition partners working to improve nutritional status of women and children, on Wednesday called for increased budgetary allocation and releases for nutrition intervention in Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger states.

The nutrition partners include Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Alive and Thrive (FHI360) and Save the Children International (SCI).

Mrs Beatrice Aluaka, Executive Secretary, CS-SUNN, at the opening of a two-day Health and Nutrition Budget Meeting with key stakeholders from the three states, noted that nutrition funding was critical to child survival and development.

Aluaka told the meeting in Abuja, that budget allocation and releases for nutrition intervention, was low to improve the nutrition status of women and children.

“This is why we are here today with key government officials from nutrition line ministries to understand malnutrition and its consequences; the current situation and the need for increased funding.

“We want all of us to be on the same page on what happens to women and children if they do not have the required nutritious food.

“For example, among other effects of malnutrition is brain impairment, responsible for stunted growth among children under five years, an irreversible development that affects children’s productivity and national development,” she said.

She stressed the need for states to capture all plans designed to improve nutrition in the 2020 Budget and make allocated funds available for intervention to save children from dying of malnutrition.

Also speaking, SCI’s, Advocacy Programme Manager, Mrs Oluseyi Abejide, said the meeting was designed to look at the current nutrition situation across the three states and the need to improve on the situation.

“It also provided an opportunity for us to ascertain the level of nutrition investment and performance across the three states, outline challenges and how to address them.

“We equally need commitment towards increasing domestic investment for high impact, low-cost interventions and specific plan of action in the 2020 Budget,” Abejide said.

Similarly, Mrs. Tonyi Gabriel of Alive and Thrive described nutrition as “the single most important investment’ any government can make in promoting the well-being of their people.’’

“Not only that, nutrition funding is also a critical investment that translates to human capital development for the growth and development of any nation,” she said.

Participants at the meeting include policy makers and officials of implementing agencies from nutrition line ministries, including lawmakers and permanent secretaries.