The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday, July 3, raised the alarm over soaring polio and malnutrition cases among children, urging government and people to rise to the challenge.
Although Nigeria was declared a polio-free country in 2020, UNICEF,an organ of United Nations (UN), warned that it has started rearing its ugly head in many parts of the North.
According to the world body, malnutrition in children has continued to lead to mortality and stunted growth, adding that affected children also suffer cognitive and intellectual deficiency.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria Cristian Munduate and two other officials-Dorothy Ochola-Odongo and Prosper Dakurali- called for urgent intervention to arrest the trend.
They spoke at the parley among UNICEF, DAME awards and Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Lagos, in furtherance of their partnership for the sustenance of children’s righ to “survive, learn, to be protected, and develop to their full potentials.”
DAME’s founder and trustee Lanre Idowu, who spoke on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the two-year renewable partnership, alluded to the commonality of interest and the need for best practicess in the respective sphere of influence.
He noted that since 2005, UNICEF, DAME and NGE hsve been working collaboratively in their collective promotion of children’s interests in the country, adding that there is need for increased engagement.
The NGE President, Eze Anaba, said that UNICEF has a lot to do in Nigeria because the country is facing a myriad of challenges.
He drew attention to the soaring poverty, which may have been the bsseline for the spread of so-called strange diseases threatening many Nigerians.
Anaba pointed out that “there is a low intensity war going on in the Southeast,” lamenting that the victims are women and children.
He said even in Lagos, which is perceived as a rich state, there are poor people not captured by the UNICEF lens.
Painting an awful picture backed by vital statistics, Munduate said in Nigeria, 72 million people lack access to safe drinking water, 64 million are multi-dimensionally poor, 28 million children lack birth registration, nine million suffer from acute malnutrition, 7.7 million are negatively impacted by conflicts in the Northeast, three million are internally displaced and 2.3 million have zero dose children.
She said these categories are at the risk of death.
The UNICEF Representative wondered why many parents still reject immunisation for their children, urging government, traditional rulers and the media to expand the horizon of sensitisation and enlightenment.
Highlighting why parents refuse immunisation for their children, she said many women explained that their husbands did not give them permission while others have suspicious about immunisation because it is free.
Munduate said there is need to create changes in behaviour to foster adaptation to certain principles that safeguard life.
Ochola-Odongo said the focus of the partnership among the three bodies are polio eradication, resolution of the nutritional crisis and protection of children’s rights.
She pointed out that barely three years after Nigeria was declared polio-free, 225 cases were recorded in 67 local governments in 15 states in 2023.
She also said that this yeat, 44 cases have been recorded in 30 local governments in 10 states.
Munduate pointed out that while the 2023 figure represented a 23 per cent increase, the 2024 figure represents 25 percent.
She lamented that the outcome of the field research showed that 35,000 children were not immunised because their parents declined due to many factors, including religious beliefs, illness and fear of side effects.
The official also said many children could not be immunised because of lack of access due to banditry.
Dakurali, who spoke on the impact of malnutrition, said 31.8 million people in 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) suffered from food insevurity, adding that food inflation rose from 24.8 percent in 2023 to 40.5 percent in 2024.
He also said only 30 per cent of nursing mothrr exclusively breast-fed their children for six months.
Dakurali attributed the low figure to the constraints of career women in cities who only have three month maternity leave.
He advised government and private sector employers to increase maternity leave from three to six months.
Urging governments to intensify the fight against hunger, Dakurali said nutritional crisis can be addressed through increased budgeting to boost food production and suply, and tackle nutritional crisis.
Source: The Nation
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday, July 3, raised the alarm over soaring polio and malnutrition cases among children, urging government and people to rise to the challenge.
Although Nigeria was declared a polio-free country in 2020, UNICEF,an organ of United Nations (UN), warned that it has started rearing its ugly head in many parts of the North.
According to the world body, malnutrition in children has continued to lead to mortality and stunted growth, adding that affected children also suffer cognitive and intellectual deficiency.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria Cristian Munduate and two other officials-Dorothy Ochola-Odongo and Prosper Dakurali- called for urgent intervention to arrest the trend.
They spoke at the parley among UNICEF, DAME awards and Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Lagos, in furtherance of their partnership for the sustenance of children’s righ to “survive, learn, to be protected, and develop to their full potentials.”
DAME’s founder and trustee Lanre Idowu, who spoke on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the two-year renewable partnership, alluded to the commonality of interest and the need for best practicess in the respective sphere of influence.
He noted that since 2005, UNICEF, DAME and NGE hsve been working collaboratively in their collective promotion of children’s interests in the country, adding that there is need for increased engagement.
The NGE President, Eze Anaba, said that UNICEF has a lot to do in Nigeria because the country is facing a myriad of challenges.
He drew attention to the soaring poverty, which may have been the bsseline for the spread of so-called strange diseases threatening many Nigerians.
Anaba pointed out that “there is a low intensity war going on in the Southeast,” lamenting that the victims are women and children.
He said even in Lagos, which is perceived as a rich state, there are poor people not captured by the UNICEF lens.
Painting an awful picture backed by vital statistics, Munduate said in Nigeria, 72 million people lack access to safe drinking water, 64 million are multi-dimensionally poor, 28 million children lack birth registration, nine million suffer from acute malnutrition, 7.7 million are negatively impacted by conflicts in the Northeast, three million are internally displaced and 2.3 million have zero dose children.
She said these categories are at the risk of death.
The UNICEF Representative wondered why many parents still reject immunisation for their children, urging government, traditional rulers and the media to expand the horizon of sensitisation and enlightenment.
Highlighting why parents refuse immunisation for their children, she said many women explained that their husbands did not give them permission while others have suspicious about immunisation because it is free.
Munduate said there is need to create changes in behaviour to foster adaptation to certain principles that safeguard life.
Ochola-Odongo said the focus of the partnership among the three bodies are polio eradication, resolution of the nutritional crisis and protection of children’s rights.
She pointed out that barely three years after Nigeria was declared polio-free, 225 cases were recorded in 67 local governments in 15 states in 2023.
She also said that this yeat, 44 cases have been recorded in 30 local governments in 10 states.
Munduate pointed out that while the 2023 figure represented a 23 per cent increase, the 2024 figure represents 25 percent.
She lamented that the outcome of the field research showed that 35,000 children were not immunised because their parents declined due to many factors, including religious beliefs, illness and fear of side effects.
The official also said many children could not be immunised because of lack of access due to banditry.
Dakurali, who spoke on the impact of malnutrition, said 31.8 million people in 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) suffered from food insevurity, adding that food inflation rose from 24.8 percent in 2023 to 40.5 percent in 2024.
He also said only 30 per cent of nursing mothrr exclusively breast-fed their children for six months.
Dakurali attributed the low figure to the constraints of career women in cities who only have three month maternity leave.
He advised government and private sector employers to increase maternity leave from three to six months.
Urging governments to intensify the fight against hunger, Dakurali said nutritional crisis can be addressed through increased budgeting to boost food production and suply, and tackle nutritional crisis.
Source: The Nation