Federal Govt Inaugurates Special National Food, Nutrition Media Team

Federal government has inaugurated a special National Food and Nutrition Media Team, towards improving result outcomes on nutrition investment in the country.

The minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who inaugurated the team in Abuja, said the initiative is aimed at bridging existing gaps on nutrition interventions, especially in areas of monitoring, evaluation and accountability to stakeholders.

Represented by the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, the minister noted that effective and efficient monitoring of nutrition programmes through media spotlighting on nutrition issues and feedback mechanisms on the utilisation of resources expended on nutrition will improve accountability, and this will ultimately lead to increase in nutrition investment by major stakeholders in the country.”

In her goodwill message, the senior special assistant (SSA) to the President on Nutrition, Mrs Abimbola Adesanmi, described the inauguration of the media team as a welcome development, saying it will ensure an effective coordination of the media activities as covered in the plan and ultimately helps in the reduction of the Morbidity and Mortality associated with Malnutrition.

Adesanmi, who was represented by the communication expert, National Council on Nutrition (NCN), Emmanuel Ohiomokhare, expressed the vice president and chairman of NCN, Prof Yemi Osinbajo’s desires which are to see that “Every nutrition intervention contributes to ensuring every household in rural, peri-urban and urban areas have access, can afford and indeed benefit from nutrition interventions as made available by government, in collaboration with their partners and numerous stakeholders.”

Malnutrition is a concern in Nigeria as the country ranks number one in Africa, and number two globally in terms of the number of malnourished children, with an estimated 14.7 million children under the age of five years predicted to suffer this year from wasting.