The Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Manassah Daniel Jatau, has inaugurated a 19-member State Taskforce Committee to tackle the misuse, abuse and theft of nutrition commodities.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Gombe, the Deputy Governor urged members of the committee to uphold transparency and accountability in the distribution of life-saving supplies.
Dr Jatau expressed gratitude for the opportunity to constitute the committee and conveyed the greetings of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, whom he described as firmly committed to transparency and good governance.
He recalled that since the administration took office on 29 May 2019, priority had been accorded to security, health, education and agriculture.
While the state has recorded notable milestones in healthcare, attracting both national and international recognition, the Gombe State Deputy Governor observed that malnutrition remained a serious challenge, particularly in Nigeria’s North-East.
Citing global statistics indicating persistently high malnutrition rates in Northern Nigeria, Dr Jatau referenced the launch of the Nutrition 774 (N-774) initiative by the Vice President on 8 July 2025, aimed at addressing malnutrition across all 774 local government areas nationwide.
Drawing from his academic background, he described nutrition as “the process of eating the right kind of food so you can grow properly and be healthy,” emphasising that adequate nutrition is fundamental to human growth and development.
Dr Jatau warned that malnutrition contributes to weakness, stunted growth and long-term developmental difficulties among children.
Measures to Curb Malnutrition
The Deputy Governor highlighted measures already implemented by the state government, including the launch of the Gombe State Food and Nutrition Policy and Multisectoral Plan of Action (2023–2027), aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the agricultural policy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Other interventions include:
- Timely release of counterpart funding for the procurement of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for severe acute malnutrition cases.
- Production of complementary feeds for moderately malnourished children across the state’s 11 local government areas.
- Establishment of Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) centres in six LGAs.
- Implementation of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRIN) programme in seven LGAs.
- Introduction of the GOHEALTH initiative.
- Research and development of “GARIN INUWA” by Professor Aishatu Maigari, Commissioner for Education, approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Taskforce
Dr Jatau said the taskforce is mandated to identify, prevent and sanction the diversion, hoarding, destruction and theft of nutrition commodities. He directed the committee to co-opt one woman from each of the state’s three senatorial districts to ensure broader representation.
Its terms of reference include:
- Monthly monitoring visits to health facilities and storage sites.
- Investigation of diversion cases and enforcement of accountability guidelines.
- Collaboration with security agencies and development partners.
- Risk mapping of RUTF supply chains.
- Deployment of tracking tools such as barcode scanning and digital reporting applications.
- Public sensitisation campaigns and monitoring of black-market sales.
The Gombe State Deputy Governor expressed hope that both Gombe and Nigeria would achieve a healthier, malnutrition-free population.
UNICEF Commendation:
In his acceptance remarks, the Committee’s Co-Chairman and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Salisu Baba Alkali, thanked the governor for establishing what he described as a critical body and pledged that members would discharge their duties diligently.
Also speaking, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of Field Office at the Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF, commended Gombe State for taking the lead in key initiatives under Governor Yahaya’s leadership. She noted that Gombe is the first state in the North-East to establish such a taskforce and expressed hope that others would follow suit.
Dr Rafique stated that UNICEF and the state government have invested millions of dollars, amounting to billions of naira, in improving child nutrition.
She stressed that access to proper nutrition is the right of every child and clarified that RUTF is a therapeutic treatment for severe acute malnutrition, not ordinary food.
Dr Rafique called on all tiers of government, as well as traditional and community leaders, to put in place mechanisms to identify and close gaps in the distribution system.
The taskforce draws membership from key ministries, security agencies, development partners, civil society organisations, religious and traditional institutions, media organisations and transport unions, reflecting a broad, multi-sectoral approach to safeguarding nutrition commodities and combating malnutrition in Gombe State.