Legislators from across 13 states of the federation, have come together to strategise and proffer solutions to malnutrition challenges across their various states.
At the 2024 Legislative Retreat On Key Nutrition Issues, held in Lagos by Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), key stakeholders and legislators came to a consensus that, among other things, Nigeria must approve a six-month maternity leave to allow women to practice exclusive breastfeeding, increase funding for nutrition intervention programs, release funds promptly and effectively, and collaborate with the agricultural sector to produce easily accessible, affordable, and nutritious food.
Speaking during the retreat, the executive secretary, CS-SUNN, Mr. Sunday Okoronkwo, stated that the reasons for the two-day legislative retreat were to gather policymakers under one roof, generate ideas for addressing malnutrition nationwide, and get legislators to commit to improving the nutrition conditions in their respective states.
According to Okoronkwo, the importance of nutrition for children and other members of society cannot be overstated, which is why quick action is required to guarantee and safeguard everyone’s nutrition.
He proposed six months maternity leave to enable women practise exclusive breastfeeding. According to him, the proposed “six-month maternity leave would pay; we believe, if implemented as a policy in states; It would allow women to exclusively breastfeed their babies, which is the best form of antidote for nutrition practices that can actually prevent malnutrition for children. “So it’s very important that they both pass the law as a policy at the executive level.
He noted that one of the drivers of malnutrition is lack of funds, adding that, “So part of what this meeting is aimed at is presenting facts and figures before the legislators to show them the gaps that exist between what the problem is, the existing funding for nutrition and the need for increased funding. It is not just about allocation, but also they should work on ensuring the prompt releases and effective utilisation of tthe fund.
Recall that the Child Nutrition Fund, managed by UNICEF in the country is a four-year pool fund being put together by some international donors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“The idea is to provide nutrition commodities so as to make them available, such that if the states put down, a portion, they will complement it with a portion. If states, for example, which is the minimum contribute $100,000, these donors will match it with $100,000 so they can get $200,000 worth of nutrition commodities.”
