By Segun Adewale in Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has reaffirmed his administration’s .commitment to improving nutrition, maternal health, and child survival across the State.
Governor Bala Mohammed stated this when he received a delegation from Nutrition International, led by its Country Director, Dr. Osita Okwonkwo, during a courtesy visit at the Executive Council Chamber, Government House, Bauchi yesterday.
The Governor expressed appreciation to the Government of Canada and other development partners for their continued support to Bauchi State, particularly in areas of health, agriculture, education, and youth development.
While describing nutrition as a critical foundation for human capital development,he noted that a well-nourished child is more likely to succeed academically and contribute meaningfully to society.
The Governor revealed that his administration has continued to invest significantly in the health sector, exceeding the 15 percent benchmark recommended under the Abuja Declaration, while ensuring that over 80 percent of health allocations are released and implemented.
According to the Governor, the state government has built over one thousand healthcare facilities, including 323 upgraded primary healthcare centres, aimed at improving access to healthcare services especially for rural communities.
Governor Bala Mohammed further disclosed that the state has released N872 million as counterpart funding to support primary healthcare programmes, as well as N300 million to UNICEF as a child nutrition matching grant, stating that the intervention supported the procurement of 15,419 cartons of small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements and 4,000 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition.
He added that the state government plans to release N500 million this year to further strengthen nutrition programmes and eliminate malnutrition among vulnerable groups.
The Governor assured the delegation that the state will continue to institutionalise nutrition interventions through policies and legislation to ensure sustainability beyond the present administration.
Earlier, the Country Director of Nutrition International, Dr. Osita Okwonkwo, commended Governor Bala Mohammed for the visible development across the state, particularly in road infrastructure and health sector investments.
Dr. Okwonkwo explained that Nutrition International is a global organization working for over three decades to improve nutrition and health outcomes for women, adolescents, and children.
He disclosed that Bauchi State served as a pilot state for the Multiple Micronutrient Supplement (MMS) implementation research, conducted in Alkaleri, Ganjuwa and Ningi Local Government Areas, aimed at improving maternal nutrition through antenatal care services.
According to him, the research produced encouraging results, including improved uptake of micronutrient supplements among pregnant women and better pregnancy outcomes.
He noted that the tools and programme materials developed during the research have now been adopted by the Federal Ministry of Health for nationwide implementation.
Dr. Okwonkwo therefore assured that Nutrition International will continue to support Bauchi State in scaling up maternal and child nutrition interventions through training of health workers, strengthening supply chains, and improving service delivery across health facilities.
