Jigawa State Government says it has put in place strategies on how to tackles child Malnutrition through budgeting, timely release and utilization of funds. Muhammad Alabira Nabordo takes a look into the situation
Honourable Babangida Umar Gantsa, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, said Jigawa State Government has unveiled strategies to address the multidimensional challenges facing children in the state.
He stated this while speaking at a “Media Dialogue on Child Sensitive Budgeting and Planning in Jigawa State” organized by the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) held at the Manpower Development Institute (MDI) Dutse, Jigawa State capital.
The Commissioner said that the state is committed to improving the well-being of children through child-sensitive budgeting and planning.
he stressed that the strategies include expanding of school feeding programs, promote maternal and child nutrition, improve access to primary healthcare, enhance immunization coverage, and increase access to clean water, among other initiatives.
He said among the six key strategies outlined to tackle child poverty, including Nutrition and Food Security, Healthcare and Child Survival, Education and Early Childhood Development, WASH, Social Protection and Economic Empowerment, Governance and Policy Implementation.
He explained that UNICEF, which organized the media dialogue, has been urging governments to increase budget allocations for children.
Further emphasizing the need for child-focused budgets that address the needs of vulnerable children deprived of basic essential services.
Also the Chief of UNICEF Field Office Kano, Muhammad Farah, has also emphasized the importance of budgeting for the development of children in Jigawa State.
According to him, adequate budget allocation is crucial for addressing the numerous challenges facing children including malnutrition in the state.
Farah further highlighted that children in Jigawa are confronted with serious problems, including child labour and early marriage, which are detrimental to their future.
These issues, he noted, can have long-lasting effects on the children’s well-being, education, and overall development.
Farah’s remarks underscore the need for policymakers to prioritize child-focused initiatives and allocate sufficient resources to support the well-being and development of children in the State.
He said by doing so, the state can work towards creating a brighter future for its young citizens and mitigate the adverse effects of child labor and early marriage.
However, the existing data indicated that the state’s statistics on child health are alarming, with 64% of children under five stunted, 9.6% wasted, and 81.9% suffering from anemia.
In some indicators showed that over 80% of children experienced food poverty, lacking a diverse diet to support growth and development.
Furthermore, 600,000 children in Jigawa are yet to be immunized against killer diseases, making them vulnerable to preventable illnesses.
And with support from organizations like UNICEF,
Jigawa State Government, is working to combat malnutrition and improve child health outcomes through increase in budgeting.
For instance, in the past, UNICEF has handed over Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods to treat 14,000 children with wasting across the state.
The Commissioner for Health in Jigawa State, Dr. Muhammad Abdullahi Kainuwa, has sounded the alarm on the state’s nutrition crisis, warning that it poses a significant threat to the state’s future development across all sectors.
According to Kainuwa, nutrition problems can have far-reaching consequences, affecting not only the health and well-being of citizens but also the state’s economic and social progress.
He noted that the gravity of the situation has prompted the state to pilot an accepted nutrition policy, aimed at addressing the nutritional challenges facing its citizens.
Kainuwa is now calling on all stakeholders to provide actionable plans that can be implemented to curb the nutrition crisis in the state.
Adding that with the state’s children facing alarming rates of stunting, wasting, and anemia, urgent action is needed to address the issue.
The Commissioner is hopeful that by working together, stakeholders can develop effective strategies to improve nutrition outcomes in Jigawa State and secure a brighter future for its citizens.
According to him that by prioritizing nutrition, the state can unlock the full potential of its citizens and drive progress in all sectors.
Also Barrister Hauwa Zakari, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs said they are prioritizing the protection of children across the state, emphasizing that every child deserves safeguarding.
She said with the comprehensive data on all children in the state, the Ministry is taking a proactive approach to ensure their well-being is taken care of.
As part of this initiative, child protection structures will be established at both Local Government Areas and at the community levels, to provide a framework for reporting and addressing cases of child abuse or neglect.
She explained that this move aimed at creating a safer environment for children to grow and thrive, with support systems in place to protect their rights and interests.
Also from the Civil Society Organizations, Shuainu Musa Kafingana emphasized the importance of child budgeting, questioning how much is actually budgeted for children and how much is released.
He urged civil society organizations (CSOs) and the media to develop a position papers on how to effectively assist children, highlighting that prevention is indeed better than cure.
He said by prioritizing child-focused initiatives and scrutinizing budget allocations, stakeholders can work together to create a safer and more supportive environment for children to thrive.
Sin-qua- non to this development, a civil society organization (CSO) has proposed a novel approach to ensuring effective utilization of funds allocated for children in Jigawa State.
Zainab Saleh, representing the CSO, suggested the development of a budget tracking template to monitor the releases and utilizations of funds by policymakers.
She also urged UNICEF to provide support to CSOs in this endeavor, enabling them to effectively track and monitor budget implementation and ensure that resources are being used judiciously to benefit children in the state.
The Dialogue was convened to sensitize key stakeholders in Jigawa State, particularly the coordinating ministries of Health, Education, Agriculture, Water Raesources and Women Affairs, on the alarming situation of malnutrition in the state.
The dialogue aims to prompt sustainable measures to address this pressing issue, including monitoring the release and utilization of funds allocated for nutrition and child welfare programs.
By engaging these ministries, the initiative seeks to ensure that authorities take concrete actions to tackle malnutrition and improve the well-being of children in the state.
