The Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, has assured that the state government will soon release the matching fund required to access the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) initiative.
The CNF, managed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is designed to support governments in procuring essential nutrients and food needed to prevent and combat malnutrition among children under five.
Bauchi State, a focal state under UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, has delayed the release of the matching fund for two years since the initiative’s introduction, leading to a rise in severe acute malnutrition cases among children in the state.
Reacting to the situation in a telephone conversation, Dr Mohammed clarified that the delay was not due to negligence on the government’s part.
“It is not that we refused to act, nor that the Governor declined to approve the matching fund. We are in the process of preparing the memo, and very soon, it will be presented to the Governor for approval,” he stated.
He further explained that UNICEF had sent a formal request, indicating that for every N100 million provided by the state government, UNICEF would contribute N200 million to procure necessary food nutrients.
“UNICEF has communicated with us on this. They stated that if we provide N100 million, they will contribute N200 million. This combined fund will be used to procure the required food nutrients. We will release the N100 million, and UNICEF will provide the N200 million—that is the content of their letter, and we still have it,” he added.
Dr Mohammed acknowledged that other states under UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, including Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, and Taraba, had already paid their contributions, leaving Bauchi as the only state yet to fulfil its obligation.
“It was my delay in writing the memo, not that the Governor refused to approve the payment. Now, I am writing it, and I have proposed a bill, which I will send to the Governor as soon as he returns for approval,” he said.
Despite the delay, he reassured that the state’s healthcare system remained functional, with plans underway for the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Week (MNCHW).
“There is no cause for alarm. We are doing our work as usual, and we are planning for the MNCHW. The committee, chaired by the Deputy Governor as part of the Multisectoral Approach to Nutrition, met last Monday and outlined the necessary steps. This is just one of several ongoing initiatives,” he explained.
He further outlined other interventions, including Vitamin A supplementation, deworming of children, and expanding the number of Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) centres from 33 to 54.
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“We are receiving 100,000 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) from Abuja, but training must be conducted before distribution begins,” he noted.
Regarding Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS), he disclosed that about 316,000 tins would be distributed to pregnant women during the MNCHW to prevent anaemia during pregnancy.
“Everything is on course. We will not sit back and watch our children die. We are fully prepared to act. We have a budget line attached to the memo for the N100 million approval. We cannot submit the request without linking it to the budget line, as it would not be approved. There is N150 million in the budget, and we are allocating N100 million from the Local Government Funds. We are almost there; the process has already begun,” he assured.
His remarks follow concerns raised by the Chief of UNICEF, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, over Bauchi State’s failure to release the matching fund despite the rising cases of severe acute malnutrition, which currently affect over 54,000 children in the state.
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