Bauchi State Commissioner of Budget, Economic Planning, and Multilateral Coordination, Amina Muhammad Katagum, has lamented the poor nutrition situation in the State considering the available data and indices.
The Commissioner stressed that, “It is a very disheartening situation that calls for a concerted effort by all stakeholders, so, we need to take the issue seriously. There is hunger among the people.”
Amina Mohammed Katagum was speaking during the Quarterly review meeting of nutrition situation in Bauchi State organised by the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other relevant stakeholders.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Yusuf Jibrin, the Commissioner stated that, “We understand that the bad indices was as a result of shortages of food and what have you, that means that Ministry of Agriculture and other related agencies have to beef up their own activities in order to make sure that the issue of food security in the state was addressed squarely.”
“You are welcome to this very important meeting, very important in the sense that it will give us the opportunity to review some of the activities that we agreed to be carried out from the last quarter meeting,” She added.
She added that, “And also to discuss, specifically, on some of the deliverables that was agreed upon during our last meeting on the implementation of 6 months maternity leave in Bauchi State as well as paternity leave for the fathers.”
The Commissioner added that, “So, therefore, it is my belief that this meeting would be able to actually address the issues of how far we have gone in addressing the activities and also how far we have gone in the implementation of other activities in the state.”
She stressed that, “Also, I want to let you know that in the last one month, we were in Jos, Plateau State with members of the State House of Assembly and Local Government Council Chairpersons on the very bad trend of nutrition in the state.”
She added, “And particularly, we called the meeting to seek their own support and they pledged to put in their best, make some legislation that will effectively help improve the situation in the state.”
According to her, “The Council Chairpersons also acknowledged the situation and agreed to contribute their quotas to the ways of addressing the situation in the state.”
She assured that, “On our own part, we will continue to do the coordination effectively. Right now, there is a committee called Food System Transformation Pathway whereby the issue of food security is going to be addressed very well.”
She further assured that, “A committee to that effect will be inaugurated, comprising all the line MDAs to ensure that we approach the issue of food security in a more holistic way.”
She further stated that, “And to also let you know that we have received a letter from the National Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in trying to see that we have established the LG Committee on Food and Nutrition in all LGAs.”
Amina Katagum revealed, “Now, we have the committee in 11 LGAs of the state, remaining 9 LGAs. We have planned that they will be instituted and inaugurated before the end of the second quarter of the year. Government is going to give its own necessary support.
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