SAN FRANCISCO, September 23, (THEWILL) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), an organisation established by United Nations and saddled with the provision of long-term humanitarian and development assistance to children and mothers, especially in developing nations, on Monday lamented the rate of poverty and ignorance in most developing countries of Africa, including Nigeria, saying these were mostly responsible for children malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa.
The UNICEF Country Representative for Nigeria, Jean Gough, who disclosed this in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, said 11 million children in the country are currently malnourished.
She however said UNICEF was ready to provide information on nutrition of children to women even as she promised that UNICEF was ever ready to assist in tackling the challenge, noting that the fund provides humanitarian and development assistance to children and mothers in developing nations.
“UNICEF is out to support what government is doing especially in primary health care, children nutrition and eradication of polio.
“We will provide information to women on nutrition because we found out that lack of information was responsible for the increase in the cases of malnutrition. We are also establishing office in Borno to care for the state and North-east because we’ve observed the distance in our present office at Bauchi is not helping matter,” she explained.
The organisation, according to her, has resolved to open an office in Maiduguri “to assist government eradicate polio, provide information on malnutrition and develop primary health care.” She noted that the Bauchi office of the fund was far from Borno hence the need to open an office in Maiduguri.
In his reaction, the Borno State governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, hailed the visit of UNICEF, saying the organisation was a friend. “Any organisation which can partner with Borno at this critical period is indeed our friend and should be commended. We appreciate your visit,” he said.
Shettima said his government was worried about the high rate of malnutrition and poverty in the state, stressing that the state introduced feeding system in its schools to ensure each student has access to quality food, adding that government spends N20 million monthly on the school feeding. He assured that the state government will partner with UNICEF on eradication of polio, malnutrition and improving primary health care.
