The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, has said that between January 2025 and now, the Federal Government has established 116 additional treatment plans to improve the health and social welfare for malnourished children.
The Minister who was represented by Director and Head of the Nutrition Department of the Ministry, Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, at the High-Level Conference on Mobilising Against Malnutrition in North-West organised by the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in collaboration with Katsina state in Abuja said nutrition has been given visibility under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that we have no reason not to take drastic action.
He said they have institutionalised health sector components of the most central plan of action and they have scaled up preventive measures, and they are also scaling up increase rates.
“We are doing everything we can to improve the health and social welfare of our children. The federal government has set up an effort across the state in order to strengthen every in-state treatment sites in Nigeria.
“Together, let us renew our shared commitment that no child in Nigeria should suffer endless malnutrition,” he said.
Also, the governor of Katsina state, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, said across the North-West, and particularly in Katsina state, the alarming rates of stunting, wasting and underweight among children are not just statistics.
He said over ₦14 Billion was invested in the year 2024 with 87% budget performance and measurable improvements in service readiness & quality.
He said to boost the production and retention of Medical Doctors, we have approved the commencement of Postgraduate medical residency training in 2 state owned hospitals.
“On expanding access to health insurance and financial Risk Protection, we enrolled over 200,000 vulnerable indigents under the BHCPF. Under the formal sector program, there is expansion and enrollment of all retirees, Community Watch Corps, into the scheme which has attracted national accolades as the total enrollment figure rose from 320,000 in 2023 to 504, 000 in 2025.
“I have directed the immediate distribution of 90,000 bags of grains to most vulnerable households and care givers of children who were admitted in the OTPs in the last 6 months across the 34 LGAs,” he said.
Also, the Country Representative of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Dr. Ahmed Aldikhari, said in 2024 alone, we admitted nearly 300,000 children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in our outpatient units across northern Nigeria accounting for more than half of all MSF admissions worldwide.
He said this magnitude reflects both the high burden of malnutrition in Nigeria, particularly in its northern Sahelian regions affected by the hunger gap and seasonal malnutrition, and the country’s demographic weight as Nigeria remains the largest nation in Africa and the sixth most populous country in the world.
He said this conference offers a strategic platform an opportunity to align our understanding, strengthen our collaboration, and renew our commitments.
