Connect with us

Latest News

Nigeria Worst In Malnutrition Cases In Africa – UN, WHO

Published

on

Nigeria holds the unenviable record of being the first in Africa and second in the world among countries with the worst malnutrition cases, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICE) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The UNICEF report published in 2021 entitled “Fed to Fail? The Crisis of Children’s Diets in Early Life”, placed Nigeria second in the global malnutrition burden with 17 million undernourished children.

In the report, one in three children in the country is diminutive and one in 10 children is wasted, setting the country off-track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 – “Zero Hunger” by 2030.

READ ALSO: What Should Be Done For Economic Recovery, Growth In Africa – Okonjo-Iweala

“From the 2018 National Demography Health Survey, NDHS, 37 per cent of Nigerian children aged between 0 and 59 months are stunted, seven per cent are wasted (thin for their height); 22 per cent are underweight (thin for their age), and two per cent are overweight (heavy for their height).

“According to the NDHS, South-West has less than seven per cent (6.8) of Global Acute malnutrition and moving up North, it is direr with North-West showcasing 57 per cent in stunting.

“Only the South-East fared a little low with 18 per cent of children stunted,” the report said.

However, it was learnt that the worsening security challenges, especially in the northern part of the country have led to the rising pangs of malnutrition among Nigerian children.

READ ALSO: How Rising Prices Pushed Seven Million Nigerians Below Poverty Line In 2020 – World Bank

A woman, Fatimah has an infant boy, Suleiman that was diagnosed with failure to thrive, a form of malnutrition, in UNICEF centre in Sokoto.

Suleiman, as at the time of filing this report, weighed 2.7 kilos, a weight too low for his age.

Fatimah said: “Suleiman became sick after we were sacked from our ancestral home by bandits.

“We lost our lands, properties and other valuables to bandits and now my son is sick. Bandits attacked our village, Kamitau, about 12 months ago.”

She and other mothers together with their ailing infants at Sabon-Gari Dole Primary Health Centre in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, are victims of persistent activities of bandits as their children are struck with malnutrition.

Experts say these children’s condition may worsen with the recent report by the United Nations showing that 14.5 million Nigerians require urgent assistance to address their nutrition needs.

 

Read more authentic news on our social media platforms

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Latest News

BREAKING: PDP Suspends Anyim, Fayose

Published

on

Anyim and Fayose

Former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; former president of the Senate, Pius Anyim; Prof Dennis Ityavyar and Aslam Aliyu were on Thursday suspended from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

The PDP made the suspension on Thursday after an extensive review of the affairs of the party, pursuant to the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).

The PDP also referred the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, to the National Disciplinary Committee over his reported involvement in anti-party activities.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.

“The PDP urges all leaders, critical stakeholders and teeming members of our party across the country to remain united and focused at this critical time,” the statement added.

 

Continue Reading

Latest News

BREAKING: Ekweremadu, Wife Found Guilty Of Organ-trafficking In UK

Published

on

Ekweremadu and his wife

A United Kingdom court has found former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and Dr Obinna Obeta, 50,  guilty of an organ-trafficking plot, which saw them bring a 21-year-old man to the UK

They were convicted of conspiring to exploit the man from Lagos for his kidney, reports the BBC.

Prosecutors told the Old Bailey the organ was to be removed and given to the couple’s daughter, Sonia, aged 25.

She was cleared of the same charge.

The victim, a street trader from Lagos, was brought to the UK last year to provide a kidney in an £80,000 private transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

They were later arrested at the airport while trying to leave the UK.

Continue Reading

Latest News

NLC Orders Workers To Shut CBN Offices Nationwide Over Naira Scarcity

Published

on

NLC Suspends Plan To Protest Against Fuel Subsidy Removal

Worried about the continued scarcity of naira, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has officially declared a nationwide . The national president of the union, Joe Ajaero, gave the directive during a media briefing in Abuja.

Ajaero also directed that affiliate unions constituting the NLC should be on standby for picketing exercises across all branches of the Central Bank of Nigeria nationwide.

The NLC earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to end the petrol and cash scarcity being experienced in the country.

Ajaero told journalists on Wednesday that the industrial action became the last resort of the NLC following the expiration of the ultimatum.

He said the decision to picket the CBN branches became necessary as the federal government and the CBN had failed to show any commitment to addressing the situation.

Ajaero lamented that despite the Supreme Court order that the old N200, N500 and N1000 notes remain legal tender until December 31, 2023, the situation kept getting worse.

He said workers could not access cash to pay fares to work.

He also criticised the pricing irregularities in the petroleum sector.

“Last week, we gave an ultimatum for the review of the cash crunch bedevilling the country, but we have discovered to our dismay that as at this moment not much effort has been made to ameliorate the situation. Government is still foot-dragging on these issues we raised,” Ajaero said.

“Based on this, we met again this morning to review our position and resolved that by Wednesday next week all CBN branches will be picketed. Workers are directed to stay at home too because people cannot eat, workers can no longer go to the office, we have been pushed to the wall.

“We have decided to take our destiny in our hands, we have mobilised our workers on this exercise.”

The NLC has no fewer than 43 affiliate unions which include, but not limited to, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, and the National Union of Road Transport Workers.

Continue Reading

Top Stories

%d bloggers like this: