Author: Folasade Akpan

Children facing severe food poverty in Nigeria declines- UNICEF

Food poverty

By Folasade Akpan

Abuja, June 7, 2024 (NAN) The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), says Nigeria has demonstrated a steady decline in the proportion of children facing severe food poverty from 45 per cent in 2012 to 32 per cent in 2022.

The fund said this in a statement it issued on Friday in Abuja, adding that it is contained in the “Child Food Poverty: Nutrition Deprivation in Early Childhood report” published on Friday.

The report also said that about 11 million children or one in every three children under five years of age, in Nigeria are presently experiencing severe child food poverty.

It said that the situation could make the children up to 50 per cent more likely to experience wasting, a life-threatening form of malnutrition.

“For the first time, the “Child Food Poverty: Nutrition Deprivation in Early Childhood” report analyses the impacts and causes of dietary deprivation among the world’s youngest and most vulnerable, that is children under five years of age, in nearly 100 countries, and across income groups.

“Globally, 181 million children under the age of five who consume, at most, two of eight defined food groups are considered in severe child food poverty and unable to sustain optimal growth and development in early childhood and beyond.

“Nigeria ranks among the 20 countries that account for almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of the 181 million children living in severe child food poverty.”

The report also said that globally, four out of five children experiencing child food poverty are fed only breastmilk/milk and/or a starchy staple, such as rice, maize, or wheat.

Also, that less than 10 per cent of these children are fed fruits and vegetables, and even fewer, less than five per cent, are fed nutrient-dense foods such as eggs, fish, poultry, or meat.

The report, however, warns that while countries are still recovering from the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of growing inequities, conflicts, and the climate crisis have pushed food prices and the cost of living to record high levels.

“A recently published report by the government and partners titled Cadre Harmonisé estimates that nearly 32 million people across 26 states of Nigeria are food insecure during this year’s lean season between June and August.

“Globally and in Nigeria, several factors are fueling the child food poverty crisis, including food systems that fail to provide children with nutritious and safe and accessible options.

“Others are families’ inability to afford nutritious foods, and parents’ inability to adopt and sustain positive child feeding practices.”

It added that cheap, nutrient-poor and unhealthy ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages are aggressively marketed to parents and families and are the new normal for feeding children.

“These unhealthy foods and beverages are consumed by an alarming proportion of young children experiencing food poverty, displacing more nutritious and healthier foods from their daily diets.

“The report shows that in Nigeria, the number of children facing serious hunger is much higher in the poorest families (44 per cent) compared to the richest families (17 per cent).

“However, much more needs to be done to ensure that every child has access to and consumes a diverse diet”, the statement said.

To end child food poverty, UNICEF called on governments, development and humanitarian organisations, donors, civil society and the food and beverage industry, to urgently transform food systems.

It added that nutritious, diverse and healthy foods were the most accessible, affordable and desirable option for caregivers to feed young children.

“Leverage health systems to deliver essential nutrition services to prevent and treat malnutrition in early childhood, including support for community health and nutrition workers to counsel parents and families on child feeding and care practices.

“Activate social protection systems to address income poverty through social transfers (cash, food and vouchers), in ways that are responsive to the food and nutrition needs of vulnerable children and their families.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

FOF/AMM

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Edited by Abiemwense Moru

FG, partners revise policy on food safety

Policy

By Folasade Akpan

Abuja, June 7, 2024 (NAN) The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, stakeholders in the food sector and partners have revised the National Policy on Food Safety and Quality and its Implementation Plan.

The revised policy was presented on Friday in Abuja as part of activities to commemorate the 2024 World Food Safety Day with the theme “Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected”.

The 2024 theme draws attention to food safety management and underlines the importance of being prepared for food safety incidents, no matter how mild or severe they can be.

Also, four inter-sectoral Technical Working Groups (TWGs) were inaugurated to provide expertise and leadership to drive effective communication, capacity building and strategic partnerships among stakeholders.

It is part of continued efforts to strengthen and harmonise Nigeria’s regulatory environment and risk-based food safety systems, while improving industry engagement in the national regulatory processes and compliance with international food safety standards.

The TWGs are focused on risk-based regulations and risk analysis in food and feed safety; food and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary inspection; traceability and supporting technologies and education and research.

In his address, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said that the policy, rooted in the one health approach, addresses a spectrum of critical areas.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, Pate said it encompassed the principles of risk analysis.

“The issue of emerging contaminants within the nation’s food chain, and the establishment of an integrated foodborne disease surveillance and response system.

“Moreover, it sets forth benchmarks for the safe handling, marketing, and sale of food throughout our nation.

“Moving beyond mere food safety, the policy propels us towards a future where the food we consume is not only safe but essentially healthy.

“It lays out strategic plans to reduce the intake of Salt, Trans Fatty Acids, Sugar, and Alcohol, among others.

“By ensuring that our diets are healthful, we aim to alleviate the growing burden of non-communicable diseases that afflict our country,” he added.

Pate also said that the policy was a testament to the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to the well-being of citizens.

He, however, called on all citizens to contribute actively to the preservation of the purity of food.

“Yet, the implementation of this policy is not a solitary journey. It demands the concerted efforts of all parties at both National and Sub-National levels.

“This includes our diligent farmers who nurture the soil, the regulators who forge the guidelines, the scientists whose innovations enhance safety, and the consumers who make informed choices with every purchase and every bite.”

Speaking to the theme of the day, he said it was a clarion call to action, a reminder that vigilance was the guardian of the nation’s sustenance.

He said: “We live in a world of unpredictability, where the unexpected lurks around every corner.

“It is not just the menace of foodborne diseases that we battle, but the unforeseen events that can compromise the integrity of our food supply.

“From natural disasters that devastate crops to the menacing power of climate change, from the accidental contamination of a trusted food source to deliberate adulteration for profit, the threats are as varied as they are frightening.”

The minister, however, assured that the Federal Government would explore public-private partnerships, leverage technology, and prioritise essential services for food safety.

One of the partners, Kelly Scavella, Programme Manager, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS) said “the agency was partnering with the ministry and other Nigerian stakeholders to help build food safety systems that are relevant to consumers, producers and regulators’’.

She said TWGs were set up to modernise Nigeria’s food safety regulatory framework in line with international best practices to address food safety concerns and facilitate the development of a strong agriculture and food industry.

“Over the last decade, the Nigerian government has implemented important changes to bolster food safety by examining and enhancing critical components of the national food safety control system.

“Harnessing the expertise of the TWGs aligns with the core mission of World Food Safety Day, emphasising the importance of collaboration and innovation in safeguarding food and feed safety.

“As we commemorate this global initiative, the launch of these TWGs underscores Nigeria’s commitment to ensuring safe and reliable access to food across Nigeria.”

Other partners are Food and Agriculture Export Alliance (FAEA), the University of Missouri’s Africa Food Safety Initiative (AFSI) and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that World Food Safety Day, marked on June 7, every year is in response to the World Health Organisation (WHO) record.

The record states that every year, nearly one in 10 people in the world, an estimated 600 million people fall ill and 420,000 die after eating food contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites and chemical substances. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

FOF/GOM/AMM

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Edited by Gregg Mmmaduakolam and Abiemwense Moru

Prioritise our welfare -IDPs appeal to Tinubu

Welfare

By Folasade Akpan

Abuja, June 5, 2024 (NAN) Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Durumi Camp in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, to prioritise their welfare.

Coordinator of the camp, Mr Idris Ibrahim-Halilu, made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja, during the commencement of the Second Quarter 2024 Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD) programme of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Ibrahim-Halilu said that the IDP phenomenon had metamophorsed into an industry and that if considered as an agenda by the president, he would be remembered for impacting their lives.

He also appealed to the NYSC to send corps members to the camp’s school, to teach the children, adding that the primary school at the camp had been closed since 2017.

“That is seven years our primary school has closed for lack of teachers.

“We are victims of ignorance, we are victims of illiteracy and our children and grandchildren are now growing in ignorance and illiteracy.

“I want to believe that the National Directorate of NYSC will help us to send a few corps members, so that we can kick start the school again.

“We only have a nursery in this camp and this is the biggest camp in Abuja. We have about 18 camps scattered over the FCT and this is the biggest with about 3,400 IDPs,” he added.

Ibrahim-Halilu also appealed to the scheme to consider its clinic that had no doctor, adding that over the years if it had received one or two doctors a lot of the IDPs would have been treated there.

He, however, thanked the NYSC management for the health outreach programme, adding that the scheme had been a uniting factor in the country.

“If not for the NYSC, a lot of things would have gone wrong”, he said.

The Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Yu’shau Ahmed, said that the programme, aimed at reaching out to at least 2,000 people have become a beacon of hope for many Nigerians.

Ahmed, represented by the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr Ahmed Ikaka, said that the programme embodied the scheme’s commitment, to complementing government’s effort in the provision of quality healthcare, especially to rural dwellers.

“This is in harmony with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President, to address the health challenges of Nigerians.

“On our part, we have reached out to millions of rural dwellers within the limit of the resources available, as we continue to collaborate with spirited individuals, government and Non-Governmental Organisations.

“The scheme is being inundated with requests from eminent traditional rulers, community leaders and other gate keepers for same laudable initiative, to take place in their respective communities.”

Ahmed said that the first edition for the year took place at Gosa-Sarki, Lugbe Area of Abuja, with hundreds of medical cases diagnosed and treated.

“While we do not discountenance collaborative efforts, through our timeless and unwavering dedication, we have been able to bridge the gap between rural communities and access to essential healthcare services, considerably.”

The Director, Community Development Service (CDS) and Special Projects, Hajiya Zainab Isah, said that the scheme mobilised 48 Corps Medical personnel comprising 18 doctors, 12 pharmacists, 10 nurses and eight medical laboratory scientists to attend to the people.

She added that part of activities to be carried-out include sensitisation on causes and prevention of diseases, diagnosis, checkups and treatment of a wide range of ailments.

“As usual, complicated medical conditions that require more sophisticated equipment and attention than what we have, will be referred to the appropriate facilities,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme, which began in 2014, operates using a tripod of sensitisation to prevention of illness, diagnosis and treatment of ailments, and referrals. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

FOF/AMM

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Edited by Abiemwense Moru

Be beacons of hope, justice that society needs, Judge urges legal officers

Hope

By Folasade Akpan

Abuja, June 3, 2024 (NAN) Justice Husseini Yusuf, the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has urged legal officers to be the beacons of hope and justice the Nigerian society needs.

Yusuf gave the counsel in Abuja at the opening ceremony of a training workshop for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Legal Officers.

The workshop had the theme: “Optimising the Capacity of Legal Officers for Organisational Compliance with Statutory Provisions”.

Yusuf, who was represented by Justice Njideka Nwosu-lheme, emphasised the vital role the NYSC legal officers play in upholding the integrity of the legal system.

“Your duty goes beyond legal representation. You are the champions of human rights, defenders of the vulnerable and the pillars of our democracy.

“As you undergo this training, I urge you to embrace the values of integrity, compassion and excellence.

“Embrace the challenges and opportunities that come with this noble profession and remember that law is a powerful tool for change.

“You are the guardians of justice whose dedication to the noble profession is crucial in shaping the future of the nation.

“Your expertise could make a meaningful difference in the lives of many as you navigate the complexities of legal practice.

“You should, however, always keep in mind the importance of ethics, professionalism and empathy in the course of discharging your duties,” he said.

The Director-General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Yu’shau Ahmed, in a remark, said that the legal unit of the NYSC was established to take care of legal matters.

Ahmed, who was represented by the Director of Procurement, Mr Chukwu Ogbonnaya, said that legal officers had been posted to the states and FCT secretariats to strengthen the unit for optimal performance.

“The take-off of the area offices in January 2020 necessitated the posting of legal officers as part of the full complement of the staff required for the smooth operations of the scheme at the area level.

“Reports reaching me, which I am happy to mention, is that the posting of legal officers has enhanced efficiency in the areas of legal advice, litigation and supervision of the Corps Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS),” he said.

He also said that the instruments guiding the operations and activities of the NYSC were the scheme’s legal frame-work and other applicable statutory provisions.

He added that their advice would guide management at all times in taking decisions, especially at very critical moments, which would largely determine the level and extent of compliance by the scheme, with statutory provisions.

The Director, Legal Services, Mr Christopher Ogar, said that the workshop was organised to enhance the capacity of legal officers in the scheme.

According to Ogar, this is in line with the Nigerian Bar Association and the legal professions’s stance on continuing legal education for lawyers.

“It is also to assemble them from different parts of the country to brainstorm and refresh their legal minds on the rudiments of legal practice, particularly in the area of organisational compliance with statutory provisions,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

FOF/AYO/ETS

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Edited by Ayodeji Alabi/Ephraims Sheyin

Anniversary: Agency produces herbal medicines for treatment of diabetes, others

Medicines

By Folasade Akpan

Abuja, June 3, 2024 (NAN) Prof. Martins Emeje, the Director-General, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), says the agency has produced four medicines in appropriate dosage forms, in its drive to promote the use of herbal medicines.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday that the four medications were part of activities carried out by the agency in the last one year.

According to Emeje, a professor of Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine, the agency converted natural foods and herbs indigenous to Nigeria to drugs to treat sickle cell, diabetes and slow aging process.

He added that the products, which are organic in nature, were launched on March 8.

He explained that “the medicines are Aberecin, used in the management of Diabetes Mellitus and Namdasan for the management of sickle cell disorder, which is a huge issue in the black population of the world and Nigeria is home to more than four million sufferers.

“We have that product containing at least eight different plants indigenous to Nigeria”, he added.

The director-general also said that the first herbal nano-product in Africa called Nanobere was also developed by the agency, and used in the treatment of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections.

He added that an anti-aging agent called Namdamune was developed by harnessing natural plants and herbs that do revitalisation, build the immune system and is responsible for slowing aging process.

He said “we got all these done in one year and it is not just about health, the significance of this is that Nigeria can develop its own products locally and manufacture locally, and that is medicine security.

“It means that the life of your people is in the hands of your people because the greatest disservice you can do to yourself is to have your own life in the hands of another person.”

He also said that the production of the herbal medicines resulted to job and wealth creation.

“This is because unlike the synthetic products that are imported, the basic materials used in making these medicines are from farms, local plants, animals, insects and sea animals all in Nigeria.

“The ingredients are abundant in the nation and farmers are needed to cultivate the herbs.

“So, you can imagine the millions of people that we need to cultivate one of the plants so by our calculation in producing one of our products, the process from the farm to the final production, we would have employed 3.8 million Nigerians.

“You can then imagine for four products, how many would have been employed?.

“So, if by two years of this administration, we are able to produce 10 medicines, multiply 3.8 million by 10 that’s the number we would have employed”, he said.

Emeje said that the aim of the agency is to use science and technology to innovatively address and put the herbs and plants in a form that they would not just be useful to Nigerians, but to also export them and get foreign exchange for the country.

This, he explained, is because the herbal medicine market alone is predicted to be about five trillion dollars in the next 13 years.

He, however, said that the plan of the agency is to have good agricultural and cultivation research farm in each political ward in the country.

According to him, the agency will establish a herbal manufacturing factory, using the prototype approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

He also said that the agency subjects itself to the evidence-based regulatory approach that NAFDAC is using for products regulation.

Additionally, the agency would establish a garlic research farm in Benue because studies have shown that there is high prevalence of asthma in Benue, he said.

“We will produce medicines for asthma in Benue because we do not want the people in Vandekiya to travel to Makurdi before they can get the products.

“We want them to be accessible to them in Vandekiya. This is the practical way to show renewed hope.”

He said that the process would begin in the 774 local government areas of the country first before cascading to the wards.

On other achievements of the agency, he said medicinal plants used in the treatment of diseases in Nigeria had been documented.

According to him, the documentation is aimed at boosting Nigeria’s traditional medicine sector for optimal performance.

He also said that this would help in addressing some of the challenges the nation’s health sector faced.

“Every plant that is useful in treating one form of disease or the other in Nigeria is documented.

“We are going into full documentation of traditional medicine in Nigeria, all the 774 local governments in Nigeria, we have marked them out.

“We are going to document and do digital database of all traditional medical practitioners in Nigeria, what they do and give to people.

“All of these are aimed at standardisation.”

Emeje said that the project, which had already taken off in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, involved in going from house to house to get the full statistics needed and that it would cascade to other LGAs in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NNMDA was established by the Federal Government in 1997 to research, collate, document, develop, promote and preserve knowledge, practice and products of natural medicine.

This is with a view to facilitating its integration into the national healthcare delivery system. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

FOF/HA

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu