The Nigerian government on Thursday inaugurated the Special National Food and Nutrition Media Team as part of efforts to drive the success of nutrition programmes and interventions in the country.
He noted that there are gaps in nutrition investment in the country, hence the need to work with the media to spread the word on the importance of nutrition. He noted that the 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, “which will ultimately lead to an increase in nutrition investment by major stakeholders in the country.
He said Nigeria is ranked 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, a condition from moderate and severe to acute malnutrition. In his goodwill message, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Nutrition, Abimbola Adesanmi, said the federal government recognises nutrition as a crucial pillar in the development of a healthy and productive nation.