By Murtala Muhammad
The Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has expressed concern that about 50 per cent of child deaths in Nigeria are linked to malnutrition, describing the condition as a major public health challenge requiring urgent intervention.
According to the 2024 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), Bauchi State has the highest stunting prevalence in the North-East at 62%.
Stunting in children is a condition where a child fail to reach his expected height and and weight due to inadequate intake of nutritious food and recurring illnesses.
Against this backdrop, a delegation from the CS-SUNN National Secretariat, led by Mr Kunle Shola, paid an advocacy visit to the Chairman of Bauchi Local Government Council to seek stronger commitment towards tackling child malnutrition.
Mr Shola noted that stunting adversely affects children’s physical growth and cognitive development, stressing the need for improved coordination and the establishment of dedicated budget lines for nutrition across the 20 local government areas of Bauchi State.
Also speaking, the Bauchi State Coordinator of CS-SUNN, Ms Dabis Mwalike, emphasised that adequate allocation, timely release and prudent utilisation of nutrition funds at the local government level were essential to reducing malnutrition, as most of the burden is concentrated at the grassroots.
Responding, the Chairman of Bauchi Local Government Council, Mahmood Babamaji who is also the Chairman of ALGON, represented by the Director of Primary Healthcare Bauchi LGA, Sulaiman Abdu Kirfi, said the council had already made provision for nutrition interventions in its 2026 budget and had continued to hold regular nutrition coordination meetings to strengthen implementation.
