4.3 million Nigerians face hunger, malnutrition in North East – UN

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, has said that over 4.3 million Nigerians in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are affected by severe hunger and malnutrition.

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In a statement published on the UN site, he revealed that the number of children under five at risk of life-threatening severe acute malnutrition had doubled in one year to reach 700,000.

He also said that millions of people in the region are facing hunger and children’s lives are on the line amid a protracted conflict and intensifying climate change.

Describing the situation in the region, Schmale said, “I have been to Borno and the other two states several times, I have seen mothers fighting for the lives of their malnourished children in nutrition stabilization centres.

“The children he spoke to complained about being hungry for days. Those of us who are parents must imagine what it’s like when you cannot ensure your children have enough to eat,” he added.

According to him, the catastrophic situation is primarily the result of more than a decade of insecurity linked to non-state armed groups, which prevents people from farming and earning an income from the land.

He noted that another harmful factor is climate change and extreme weather impacts, noting that 2022 saw the worst floods in 10 years in Nigeria, which affected more than 4.4 million people across the country, not just the Northeast.

Soaring food prices, fuel and fertilisers have exacerbated the crisis, and the response remains severely underfunded, he further noted.

The UN official added that out of the $1.3 billion in humanitarian funding needed for the region, only 25 per cent was secured.

A registered dietician-nutritionist at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nwabumma Asouzu, said malnutrition has hidden dangerous impacts on the well-being and survival of children.

Besides making children more susceptible to diseases and infections, the nutrition expert said malnutrition slows wound healing and delays the recovery of children suffering from infections.

She also warned against ignoring the consequences of malnutrition in children as a statement by the United Nations agencies affirmed that Nigeria and 14 other countries were home to 30 million malnourished children.

Speaking on the issue, Asouzu gave insight into the health and economic implications of malnutrition, saying, Poverty amplifies the risk of, and risks from malnutrition. Poor people are more likely to be affected by different forms of malnutrition.

He said: “Also, malnutrition increases health care costs, reduces productivity, and slows economic growth, which can perpetuate a cycle of poverty and ill health.

“Childhood malnutrition, including overnutrition, increases a child’s susceptibility to several different infections and often delays recovery from these infections, thus posing a large burden of disease in developing countries.

“Malnutrition, in all its forms, includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight, obesity, and resulting in diet-related noncommunicable diseases.”

Asouzu went on to say that household income remains a crucial factor in determining both childhood health and nutrition, adding that malnutrition mostly occurs in low- and middle-income countries.

“Globally in 2020, 149 million children under five were estimated to be stunted (too short for age), 45 million were estimated to be wasted (too thin for height), and 38.9 million were overweight or obese” he added.

The dietician said currently, Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 per cent of children under five.

Wumi/Punch