Bayelsa State Government has assured the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN) of its readiness to fulfill all counterpart funding obligations necessitated by the partnership agreement it has reached with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on health and nutrition.
The state’s deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave the assurance at the weekend when a delegation of NSN led by its state chairman, Mr Ebi Wilson, paid him a courtesy call in Government House, Yenagoa.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, the deputy governor, stressed the need for all local government councils and other stakeholders to promote the issue of good nutrition.
According to Senator Ewhrudjakpo, a good number of people suffer and die of malnutrition as a result of poor knowledge of what to eat to remain healthy and not because of poverty.
He, therefore, called on members of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria to carry out enlightenment campaigns to reduce the increasing death rate arising from nutritionally-induced diseases across the state.
The deputy governor, who pledged to sponsor a one- month radio programme on nutrition awareness, directed the NSN to liaise with the Ministry of Health to ensure the deployment of nutrition officers to all the local government areas
He said, “While it is good that we have health workers in the LGAs, who may have read about nutrition, I think their level of knowledge of nutrition is not as advanced as you have.
“And so, we will see how we can within available resources, working with the Ministry of Health, deploy nutrition officers in all the LGAs. That will be key to us.
“Nutrition should come before any other health intervention. Immunization is good, but immunization without good nutrition is ineffective.
“The high rate of communicable and non-communicable diseases and deaths is high because of our low level of nutritional awareness. I will support the NSN to have a one month nutrition hour radio programme to create the awareness.
“We have Herculean task before us. Government has a role, but professionals have a greater role. I believe that when you play your role as professionals, the knowledge level will expand to create more enlightenment and less people will die of nutritionally-induced non-communicable diseases.”
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the state chairman of NSN, Mr. Ebi Wilson, said the visit was informed by the need to foster collaboration between the Society and the Bayelsa State Government to address nutritional issues affecting communities in the state.
Making reference to the recent multi-sectoral partnership agreement signed between the state government and the UNICEF, Mr Wilson said the organization was committed to working with government to ensure every Bayelsan has access to good nutrition.
Describing nutrition as the cornerstone of health, he underscored the expediency of implementing the Bayelsa State Policy on Food and Nutrition as well as putting in place mechanisms for improvement of the nutrition indicators of the state.
While calling for the release of counterpart funds for the implementation of the nutrition intervention from the UNICEF, Mr. Wilson said the NSN framework covers community engagement, and the prioritization of nutrition within the health and education sectors.
According to the NSN chairman, “We thank the state government for the interest it has shown and efforts made to alleviate malnutrition in the state through collaboration with development partners.
“Recently, the multi-sectoral plan of action was signed, and we believe funds required for the implementation will be released; the matching fund of 100,000 USD for implementation of the nutrition intervention from UNICEF requires counterpart funds from the state government.
“The implementation of the Bayelsa State Policy on Food and Nutrition is quite expedient, and we request mechanisms to be put in place so that the nutrition indicators of Bayelsa State will improve drastically.
“We also seek government’s support in advocating for policies that prioritize nutrition within our health and education sectors, engagement of local communities through workshops and outreach programmes, ” Wilson said.
