The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said 3.5 million children in Nigeria are suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Field Operations and Emergencies, Judith Leveille, provided the figure yesterday in Abuja at a joint media briefing by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction on the European Union’s support for victims of the Yelwata crisis in Benue State, as well as the nutrition emergency in the Northeast and Northwest.
The situation, according to her, is dire and requires urgent action.
The UNICEF chief noted that 400,000 children risk preventable deaths in one month and eight days.
She said: Today, we are gathered because we have a common understanding. More can be done to ensure that all severely acute malnourished children, and we are talking -about a burden of 3.5 million children in Nigeria. The situation is dire, and more needs to be done.
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“What we saw is that nutritional stabilisation centres are already overstretched, and we still haven’t reached the peak of the lean season. We will reach that in about three weeks, and the peak season will last over a month. What we saw in some communities in Sokoto is not unique.
“It can also be seen in many other states, particularly in the northern parts of Nigeria. So, we need to call on all forces to prevent a stockout of essential nutrition commodities used to treat severe acute malnutrition. As we speak, we can expect a stockout by September 1.
“So, we have one month and eight days to avoid the preventable deaths of over 400,000 children. That’s a lot of children”.
Leveille emphasised the need for funding, skilled personnel, and essential medicines.
The Nigeria INGO Forum Director, Camilla Higgins, reiterated that an estimated 3.5 million children were suffering from severe acute malnutrition in the country.
She said: “The figure is the equivalent of the national stadium in Abuja times 60. You would have to fill it 60 times to capture that number of children, and they are all at risk of increased death. This demands urgent and coordinated action by the government, and we are very ready to support such an effort in coordination with international actors like UNICEF and our member organisations.”