Why Legislators Should Prioritise Investment In Nutrition

Investment In nutrition should be top priority for lawmakers due to the significant impact of malnutrition on Nigeria’s economic productivity.

About 11 Percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated to be lost due to the effects of stunting on productivity in adulthood.

Stakeholders have asserted that addressing the problem of malnutrition in the country is crucial for improving the well-being of children and promoting long-term economic growth.

The director and head, nutrition department, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, noted that

intentional Investment in comprehensive nutrition services across Nigeria has the potential to save upto to $22 million in healthcare treatment costs related to child malnutrition.

She said investment in nutrition will prevent over 10 million cases of childhood diarrhea and pneumonia, and it will prevent about 220,000 child deaths annually in the country, which is an important contribution to reducing overall under-5 child mortality.

Mrs Bako-Aiyegbusi, who stated this at a one-day breakfast meeting on the Legislators’ Role in Strengthening Nigeria’s Nutrition Landscape, organised by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Senate President on Diaspora and Non-governmental Organisations in collaboration with Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), recently in Abuja, added that it will reduce families’ out-of-pocket expenditures on treatment.

She noted that the National Policy on Food and Nutrition stipulated that the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has the responsibility to improve and sustain the nutritional status of the nation, as well as combat the problem of nutrient deficiencies, especially micronutrient deficiencies, stunting, wasting, underweight and overweight.

According to her, some nutrition intervention policies were being implemented by the ministry in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

However, she said despite progress in recent decades, “Nigeria still faces triple burden of malnutrition: undernutrition, overweight and micronutrient deficiencies remains a major health and developmental issue in the country.

“In Nigeria, malnutrition is an underlying cause of nearly half of the

deaths of under-five children because undernourished children are more likely to die from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea, measles, pneumonia, malaria or HIV/AIDS, and at greater risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

“Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 37 percent.”

Mrs Bako-Aiyegbusi has, therefore, urged lawmakers to ensure pro-nutrition budgetary allocation to key ministries and departments responsible for the delivery of nutrition specific and sensitive  programmes by ensuring timely release of adequate funds, monitor the expenditures and make sure monies are properly expended.

On oversight, she said the legislators should commit to undertake scheduled full-fledged annual debate on the status of nutrition in their federal constituencies.

“As federal legislation, institutionalise data collection and interpretation mechanism as an inclusive and transparent process for planning”, she added.

In his welcome remarks at the meeting, the chairman steering committee- CS-SUNN, Sodangi Chindo Adam, stressed the need for urgent action to save the lives of the teeming pregnant population and adolescent girls in the country.

“It is therefore imperative to take advantage of the child nutrition funds, a matching fund platform provided by UNICEF to improve nutrition funding across the 36 States of the federation, which is yet to be accessed by many state governments.

“This collaboration today aims to brief you, distinguished senators and honorable members on the existence of the counterpart funding and request you to prioritise maternal health through constituency oversight of the PHCs, leveraging on your political network, influence and good will.

“We are here to leverage our legislators’ capacity and influence to play a critical role in improving nutrition of women in their constituencies and most importantly, to get their buy in and commitments to prioritize nutrition, especially in the provision of multiple micronutrient supplements in their constituencies and advocate for leveraging the Child Nutrition Fund to further boost the availability of nutrition commodities in Primary Health Care Centers across the country, he explained.

On his part, the special adviser to the Senate President on Diaspora and Non-governmental Organisations, Dr. Jibril Lawal Tafida, summited that much of the responsibility rests on the legislators because of the enormous power and influence they wield in providing legislative frameworks for actions that will have a beneficial effect on every aspect of the life of the citizens, including their access to nutritious food.

He said “In fulfilling its legislative role in this regard, the legislature must avail itself of the enormous research endeavors in plant genetics, artificial intelligence, and other global trends in agriculture, all of which can promote access to innovations in high-nutritional foods for children and other citizens.

“In this regard, legislative frameworks in genetically modified foods may be desirable in a way that does not expose citizens to hazardous scientific innovations.”

Dr. Jibril said the legislative arm of government has to complement the executive by providing the necessary enabling environment for the development of safe and nutritional food practices across the nation.

The legislature must enact laws that safeguard children from unhealthy nutritional practices and guarantee their access to the required nutritional diets for their physical, mental, and psychological development, he added.