UNICEF Confirms Over 5 Million Children From Nigeria's Northwest, Northeast Are Suffering From Acute Malnutrition 

UNICEF Confirms Over 5 Million Children From Nigeria's Northwest, Northeast Are Suffering From Acute Malnutrition 

By Aminu Abdullahi Gusau.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported that nearly 5.4 million children under the age of five in Nigeria’s northwest and northeast regions are suffering from acute malnutrition, with an additional one million cases projected by April 2025.

The UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Cristian Munduate, disclosed this during a news briefing in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, focusing on the crisis affecting millions of children in Zamfara and across the country.

Ms Munduate who highlighted the situation of Children in Zamfara, said the state has 1.2 million children and out of the figure 250,000 children suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)

According to her, wasting affects 1 in 10 children while stunting among children aged 0 to 5 years is at an alarming 45.2%”

“The neonatal mortality rate is 42 per 1,000 live births”

Mr Christian Munduate pointed out that, only 21.5% of pregnant women attended 4 and above antenatal and institutional deliveries stand at a mere 15%.

She further disclosed that, out of 62,000 pregnant women, only 13% of the total have access to skilled birth attendants which she described it as shocking.

The UNICEF Country representative also said over 700,000 children are out of school and 60% of girls are subjected to child marriage and perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

She emphasized that, the crisis in Zamfara is a reflection of a larger, national challenge.

“Nigeria has over 110 million children, yet 40% of those under age 5 are stunted.
Only 57% of children under 5 have been registered. 2.1 million children have never been vaccinated. 1 in 4 children is out of school, and 3 in 4 lack foundational skills. 47% of children live in income-poor households, while 67% experience multidimensional poverty”

According to her, to address the dire needs across Nigeria’s most vulnerable states, including Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina, it required over 250 million dollars .

Stressing that, more than 100 million dollars is needed for Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina alone to provide vital services in nutrition, health, WASH, child protection, and education.

She further disclosed that, UNICEF aim to treat 400,000 children under 5 suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition while 200,000 additional children in the northwest will require Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) in 2025 compared to 2024.

“Over 300,000 children in Sokoto and Zamfara need measles vaccinations”

She said two million vulnerable people in Zamfara and Sokoto require access to medical treatment and counseling on nutritious diets.

To effectively address the challenges, the UNICEF Country representative urged governments at all levels to expand healthcare services and strengthen community health programs.

“Scale up nutrition interventions and promote child spacing initiatives to tackle the underlying challenge of rapid population growth and to Integrate nutrition into primary healthcare services.

“Promote inclusive education and improve school infrastructure, Enhance routine immunization to protect children from preventable diseases.

She added that, the situation demands immediate action, collaboration, and commitment to save lives, restore hope, and build a brighter future for the children of Zamfara and beyond.

He further commented Zamfara state government for its numerous achievements in the area health and education particularly eradicating polio, improving tue standard of hospitals as well as it plan to recruit 2000 teachers among others.