Key Actors Want Action on Bane of Good Nutrition

Addressing poverty, insecurity and economic challenges will enhance good nutrition nationwide, especially among women and children.

This was the submission of Stakeholders at a programme on Advocacy, Orientation and Consultative with High-Level Nutrition State Actors on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition Programme Coordination and Implementation.

The event was held at the Oyo State Ministry of Health Conference Room, Ibadan.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning of Oyo State and Chairman of Nutrition  Programme in the State, Mr Ademola Ajibola explained that for the country to achieve a balanced diet, it was necessary to encourage people to engage in small farming activities in their environments to reduce cases of Malnutrition.

“For us to get a balanced diet I think it is important for to us encourage small farming in our household. When we have a small farm at the back of our house it would be useful for us to complement the ones we bought at the market”.

Speaking in the same vein, Chairman, Oluyole Local Government, Mr Olaide Settle emphasized that governments needed to look inward for other approaches to achieve good nutrition and create sensitization programmes at the grassroots.

Also speaking, a pharmacist, Zubairu Umaru from the Federal Ministry of Health said the government is saddled with the responsibility of reducing malnutrition in the country with the procurement of ready-to-use therapeutic food to malnourished children.

 “Our target is to reduce malnutrition to the barest minimum we cannot completely eliminate malnutrition and we would reduce it by 20 percent due to economic and poverty challenges.

Mr Umar who commended Oyo State Government for giving priority to nutrition in its yearly budget noted that the state had the highest number of malnourished children in the Southwest.

“The visit to Oyo State was because it has the highest burden of malnutrition in Southwest, and secondly, I want to commend Governor Seyi Makinde for keying into nutrition funding by including it in its yearly budget”.

Oyo state Coordinator of Nutrition, Mrs Omolara Oladeji said Nutrition is a collective effort in tackling the menace of malnutrition.

 “I want all hands to be on deck to reduce malnutrition in Oyo “

Mrs  Oladeji noted that  Oyo State was selected among the 12 States to implement the nutrition project, and appreciated Governor Makinde for his efforts on it.

Fasilat Lawal.

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