The Oyo State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have commenced a coordinated push to curb child stunting and malnutrition through targeted nutrition interventions.

The initiative is designed to address malnutrition during the critical first 1,000 days of life.

This is from conception to a child’s second birthday, a period experts say is crucial for physical and cognitive development.

The initiative, a US government-funded programme, was launched on Wednesday in Ibadan as a joint collaboration among UNICEF Nigeria, the Oyo State Ministry of Health, the Primary Healthcare Board, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and local government areas.

The Nutrition Manager, UNICEF Nigeria, Abuja, Sumit Karn, in his remarks at the project’s grant inception meeting, said that the programme would prioritise pregnant women and children under two years old.

Mr Karn said the goal was to strengthen early childhood nutrition and reduce the long-term effects of stunting on health, education, and productivity.

He said that the programme would be rolled out across seven Nigerian states, with Oyo as one of the focal states.

“A key component of the programme is its plan to reach 36,000 children with nutrition supplements aimed at improving child health outcomes and lowering stunting rates.

“Beyond immediate health benefits, the intervention is expected to enhance children’s learning capacity and contribute to the state’s economic growth,” he said.

The Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, in her remarks, said the partnership reflects the administration’s commitment to strengthening primary healthcare and improving maternal and child nutrition at the grassroots level.

Ms Ajetunmobi noted that the state has recorded notable progress in reducing chronic malnutrition, with stunting prevalence dropping from 34.7 per cent in 2023 to 23.4 per cent, following intensified nutrition interventions.

The commissioner, however, added that acute malnutrition, or wasting, has risen sharply from 1.8 per cent to 14.4 per cent, underscoring the need for renewed focus on infant and young child feeding practices at the community level.

She said, “To address the trend, the state government, in collaboration with UNICEF and with support from a US government grant, is targeting the first 1,000 days of life through direct nutrition interventions.

“These include early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and the introduction of Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplement (SQLNS) for children aged six months to two years.”

The commissioner disclosed that the supplement is free, not for sale, and should not be used by children above two years or adults.

She warned that a diversion monitoring committee comprising officials from NAFDAC, NOA, Amotekun, the police, and the ministry of justice had been set up to prevent misuse.

The Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Muideen Olatunji, commended Governor Seyi Makinde’s strong political will to support health service delivery in Oyo State, which led to the selection of the state as one of the seven beneficiaries of the grant.

He said, “This initiative is coming because of our previous performance. We assure UNICEF that we have a crop of experts to manage the programme properly in our various primary healthcare centres across the local governments.”

The Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State, Sikiru Sanda, expressed the readiness of local government chairmen to work closely with health workers and local authorities to ensure effective implementation and monitoring.
(NAN)