UN says nearly 6m children in northern Nigeria at risk of acute malnutrition

The United Nations (UN) has disclosed that no fewer than six million youngsters below the age of five in northern Nigeria will experience severe malnutrition until April 2023.

During a press briefing in New York on Wednesday, UN representative Stephane Dujarric made this announcement.

She indicated that approximately 512,000 women who are either pregnant or breastfeeding will also face significant malnutrition.

Dujarric noted that the financing for the existing intervention strategy in the northeast is below 50%, highlighting the necessity to enhance the humanitarian response in the region.

As per him, the recent flooding disaster obliterated over 650,000 hectares of agricultural land, exacerbating the country’s food insecurity.

“Our humanitarian partners in Nigeria are urging the government and the donor community to promptly release resources to assist children amid a worsening nutrition crisis,” he stated.

“Close to six million children under five in the northern part of the nation are projected to endure acute malnutrition from May until April 2023.

“Over 512,000 pregnant and nursing women are likewise estimated to suffer from acute malnutrition.”

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) asserted at a recent gathering in Nigeria that 100 children under five lose their lives to malnutrition in Nigeria every hour.

Chief nutrition officer for UNICEF Nemat Hajeebhoy remarked that if prompt measures are not undertaken, an additional 15 million children are at risk of “wasting,” a term used for children who become emaciated due to malnutrition.

“Every hour in Nigeria, nearly a hundred children below the age of five perish. By the time we conclude this meeting, 300 children would have lost their lives in this country,” the nutrition official mentioned.