Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who is also the Chairman,
National Council on Nutrition has highlighted poverty as a major factor
exacerbating malnutrition. He said poverty has been worsened by COVID-19
pandemic and the displacement of large populations as a result of
banditry and insurgency. He was speaking at the virtual National
Nutrition Summit Held on Tuesday, 18th August 2020.
Prof. Osinbajo identified the 2016 review of the National Nutrition
Policy and the 2017 reconstitution of the National Council on Nutrition
as major steps that the government has taken to turn the tide on the
issue of nutrition in addition to progressive increases in nutrition
allocations. He commended the conference for what he described as an
“important conversation on Nutrition”.
In her speech, read by wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Oludolapo
Osinbajo, First Lady of Nigeria, Dr. Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari charged
stakeholders to end the scourge of malnutrition ravaging Nigerian
children so that they can survive, thrive and possess the requisite
cognitive ability to handle the future. To ignore this, she said, is to
mortgage our future, “because tomorrow, we would not have competent
young adults to run government, businesses, or even academia.”
“By now we are certain that the Government and people of Nigeria are not
oblivious of the nutrition situation in the country. We have also made
some progress in recent years, especially having more stakeholders
talking about Nutrition, and getting more nutrition-sensitive budget
lines at Federal and State levels.” She said.
Mrs. Buhari also drew attention to the current global pandemic, which
has worsened the situation by moving all attention and resources towards
the containment of the COVID -19 virus and unconsciously excluding
vulnerable children in the process. She stated that their lives are
equally as important.
She expressed hope that all stakeholders will strengthen their resolve
to make and follow through with their commitments on Nutrition.
Other speakers at the event include the Minister of Health, Prof. Osagie
Ehanire and Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning,
Prince Clem Agba; both stated that there is a clear relationship between
malnutrition and underdevelopment with Nigeria having the highest rates
of malnutrition in Africa and second highest in the world, calling for
more concerted effort to address this negative trend.
Discussions centered on the multi-sectoral plan of action, innovative
financing, private sector engagement, and the impact of COVID-19.
The conference was attended by over 400 participants including
stakeholders, eminent scholars, and technocrats on nutrition.