The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF Chief of field office in charge of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, Michael Juma,
has expressed concern over an alleged diversion of Nutrition Supplements in some communities in Sokoto.
He made this known during the quarterly policymakers’ meeting on Wednesday in Sokoto, urging community members and stakeholders in the healthcare sector to intensify vigilance against the diversion of prepared nutrition supplements in Sokoto.
UNICEF organized the meeting in collaboration with the Sokoto government to discuss activities, successes, challenges and offer solutions to lingering challenges.
Mr. Juma noted that the nutrition supplements were provided by donors and distributed to healthcare centers in different communities with the aim to enhance the lives of malnourished children.
According to him, some bad elements in the system connived with traders and engaged in selling the supplements to unintended persons, stressing that the supplements were openly sold in markets.
While investigating the designated stores, UNICEF discovered that personnel stocked cartons of supplements with stones and other objects to cover their nefarious acts.
‘' I urge community members and stakeholders in the healthcare sector to intensify vigilance against the diversion of prepared Nutrition Supplement in Sokoto'
Mr Juma also urged Sokoto government to join other states in appointing Sokoto’s statistician-general to fast-track data collection, prudence, preservation and dissemination in line with modern trends.
'However, some bad element in the system connived with traders and engaged in stealing the supplements to unintended persons. The supplements were openly sold in the marker. I urge the Sokoto Government to join other states in appointing statistician general to fast track data collection, prudence, preservation and dissemination in line with modern trend'
Since 2009, UNICEF has been supporting Nigeria’s community-based program for treatment of treatment
acute malnutrition. Since then, the program has grown significantly, to become one of the largest UNICEF-supported treatment program in the world.
UNICEF’s nutrition interventions are also aligned and convergent with other sector interventions, including those related to antenatal care, the prevention and control of pneumonia and diarrhoea, immunization, deworming, distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and adolescent girls’ and maternal nutrition.
UNICEF’s nutrition program complements the efforts of other United Nations agencies and NGOs, with nutrition-sensitive interventions geared towards a shift from emergency to development with long-term nutrition interventions that address stunting and SAM. read morehttps://nigerdeltaconnect.com/ndconnect/respiratory-virus-causes-panic-in-us
