Considering the rising cases of acute malnutrition in Gombe State, a high powered advocacy team from the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning in Abuja and Save the Children last week spent four days in the State meeting major stakeholders to advocate concerted actions to be taken to save the dying children.
According to leader of the team and a Deputy Director in Charge of Food and Nutrition in the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Roselyn Gabriel, the case of acute malnutrition in Gombe State which is at the alarming rate of 42.9 per cent is very unacceptable.
She said an aggressive approach must be used in addressing malnutrition in the State if the future of the children in the State must be assured. This is apart from the use of plump nuts that is being used in three Local Government Areas of the State.
“Stunting is what is actually used to assess malnutrition rate of any community. As it is in Gombe State, it is 42.9 per cent which is very high and I must be very honest with you, aggressive approach must be used in addressing malnutrition”, Mrs. Roselyn emphasized.
During the advocacy visit, the team took its advocacy to the Mai Kaltungo, Engineer Saleh Mohammed, the Acting Secretary to the State Government (SSG), the State House of Assembly as well as some health facilities and other line ministries to advocate that practical attention be given to malnutrition in Gombe State.
The Paramount traditional ruler said lack of basic amenities in his area like good roads has been depriving his people especially women of the opportunity of assessing health facilities. He stressed that, “we have very difficult terrain, we lose a lot of women especially during child birth, my people are just fighting for their survival, but I will keep on talking to the Government”.
At the office of the Acting SSG, Mr. James Pisagih, the audience was stunned at the revelation that only N10 million was approved though not released out of N155 million budgeted for nutrition activities in the State for 2013, 2014, and 2015.
The only time N10 million was approved but not released was in 2015 when N55 million was budgeted. In 2013 and 2014, N50 million each was budgeted for nutrition activities but no single kobo was accessed for that purpose.
Before 2013, only a paltry sum was budgeted for nutrition activities but with the formation and vigorous advocacy embarked upon by the Maternal and Newborn Child Health (MNCH) Coalition and media platform, the budgetary allocation was scaled up to N50 million though not much has been achieved, hence the rising cases of malnutrition.
The SSG, who expressed surprise at the non-release of the funds, admitted the dwindling revenue of the State Government but emphasized that it is not an excuse for the non-release of the funds.
Mr. Pisagih, who commended the team for monitoring trends in the State, especially malnutrition issues, promised Government’s immediate action adding that the soon to be commissioned multi-billion naira Women and Children Hospital in the State is a step in that direction.
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, who was represented by the House Committee Chairman on Appropriation, Honourable Solomon Philip Jesima, also expressed surprise at the non-release of appropriated funds, but called for smooth synergy between line ministries. He also explained that when funds are not accessed, they are usually expunged.
At the end of the advocacy visit, the team recommended that the advocacy must be continuous if the desired goals must be achieved. It said seeing government officials and impressing on them the need for action was non-negotiable while the advocacy should be scaled-up to reach all local government areas of the State just as managements of all the LGA’s must be made to key into the fight against malnutrition.
