The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, on Wednesday said Nigeria is facing an acute nutrition challenge that requires stronger investment, coordination and accountability across government and the private sector.<\/p>\n
He spoke in Lagos at the 56th Annual Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN).<\/p>\n
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Sanusi, who is also the Chairman of the NSN Board of Trustees, said the country could not address malnutrition through the health sector alone, as agriculture, education, water and sanitation, social protection, trade, finance and political leadership all influence nutrition outcomes.<\/p>\n
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He added that a poorly nourished child would struggle to learn, while a poorly nourished workforce would be unable to deliver the productivity required for Nigeria\u2019s economic transformation.<\/p>\n
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Sanusi said the latest nutrition figures showed the scale of the challenge facing the country, noting that the Nigeria Mini-Demographic and Health Survey 2025-26 showed that 41.1 per cent of children under five were stunted, while 19.2 per cent were severely stunted.<\/p>\n
He said the situation was worse in the North-West, where 58.2 per cent of children were stunted, adding that only 25.3 per cent of children under five received any iron-containing supplements in the past year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese figures should not discourage us; they should guide us,\u201d he said, stressing that data must be translated into decisions, budgets and programmes that reach those who need them.<\/p>\n
The NSN chairman called for greater investment in local food systems to make nutritious diets more affordable and accessible, as well as increased private-sector participation in food fortification and responsible marketing.<\/p>\n
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He said Nigeria must move away from fragmented interventions and short-term projects to coordinated systems and sustained investment in nutrition.<\/p>\n
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Sanusi also urged the government and stakeholders to strengthen nutrition financing through dedicated budget lines, timely releases and expenditure tracking.<\/p>\n
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He called for the scaling up of proven interventions, including maternal nutrition, breastfeeding support, micronutrient supplementation and food fortification through routine systems rather than isolated projects.<\/p>\n
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Representing Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health and Focal Person on Nutrition, Mrs Uju Rochas-Anwukah, said the government recognised the need for a coordinated approach to nutrition.<\/p>\n
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She said nutrition outcomes were shaped by several sectors and that the Nutrition 774 Initiative of the National Council on Nutrition was designed to take nutrition interventions to every local government area.<\/p>\n
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\u201cGood intentions do not feed a child. Budgets must be released on time, expenditures tracked, and every naira judged by measurable community impact,\u201d Rochas-Anwukah said.<\/p>\n
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The President of the NSN, Prof. Salisu Abubakar, said Nigeria\u2019s nutrition situation required stronger links between food systems, health systems, government, academia and the private sector.<\/p>\n
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\u201cNutrition problems are interconnected, and our solutions must carry the same intelligence,\u201d Abubakar said.<\/p>\n
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He said businesses had a role to play through food fortification, workforce nutrition programmes, innovation and investment in local food systems.<\/p>\n
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The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, called for collaboration among regulators, nutrition professionals, academia, industry and policymakers.<\/p>\n
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Adeyeye said stronger collaboration with the NSN and other stakeholders would support efforts to improve food safety, consumer protection and access to healthy diets.<\/p>\n
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The conference also highlighted maternal and child nutrition, adolescent nutrition, food fortification, biofortification, clinical nutrition and stronger regulation of the nutrition profession as areas requiring sustained attention.<\/p>\n
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UPDATE NEWS:<\/p>\n