The challenge of child nutrition

The National Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition (NSPAN) approved by the National Council on Health at one of its sittings is estimated to cost N425.6 billion until 2018, mostly on interventions that aim to drastically reduce stunting by 20 per cent, cut low birth by 15 per cent and increase exclusive breastfeeding in the […]

The National Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition (NSPAN) approved by the National Council on Health at one of its sittings is estimated to cost N425.6 billion until 2018, mostly on interventions that aim to drastically reduce stunting by 20 per cent, cut low birth by 15 per cent and increase exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of infant life by 50 per cent.
Despite its importance however,  and  as  paltry as the amount earmarked is, the NSPAN, which is  drawn up by the Federal Ministry of Health and endorsed by state governments and other stakeholders is yet to be adopted and made operational. A coalition of seven civil society groups working on nutrition and child health, Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH),   raised concern recently about the poor nutrition status of Nigerian children, in spite of progress that government officials said had been made in local food production.
The group reported that the exclusive breastfeeding policy to help children start out healthy early in life was still low, at only 17 per cent of women in Nigeria, compared to 70 percent in Ghana, which NSPAN hopes could triple by 2018.
Clearly, what the problem is includes the absence of political will to tackle malnutrition, as can be seen from the programme’s meagre budget. Nutrition to support the life of children should be given the urgent and priority attention it deserves for the healthy growth of the next generation.
The National Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition should be considered for adoption without further delay to save children from preventable diseases before it escalates. It is unforgiveable that as many as four children out of ten don’t attain their natural height and weight due to malnutrition, a condition that is within the scope of government agencies to address and ameliorate.
Beyond providing the tools for stemming the tide of malnourishment and eliminating its occurrence, there should also be intensive awareness campaigns with community support on what to do and where to go to tackle individual cases.
Even in urban areas, enlightenment is essential as there are some residents who may have the means but due to ignorance or negligence do not give their children the appropriate food they need to aid their proper growth.
Those responsible should do more in educating the people on the values of nutrition, particularly in children.
The comparison between Nigeria and Ghana on exclusive breastfeeding does not say much about the practice in Nigeria, even as the country regularly joins the rest of the world in marking the annual Breastfeeding Week,  1 to 7 August.   
Exclusive breastfeeding has its own challenges for the working mothers who live far away from their places of work, because they cannot easily go home and breastfeed their babies.
Most places of work don’t have crèches for the mothers to keep their babies, thus encouraging the practice of exclusive breastfeeding.
Workplaces should be encouraged make it a policy to have crèches. Nigeria lags behind smaller African countries in many development indices, which is inexcusable. This is the responsibility of all tiers of government and they should all act responsibly to address the problem.