Malnutrition In Nigeria (A State of Emergency)

As surprising as it may sound, Nigeria (the giant of Africa) is now known as one of the worst places on earth for children to survive beyond their fifth birthday. According to a report by the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) on the malnutrition burden in Nigeria, the study shows that stunting, wasting, and underweight rates have worsened drastically in the country when compared to the same survey past three years.

Also, UNICEF says that, in Nigeria, children from rural areas are twice as likely to be stunted as children from urban areas, adding that a child whose mother has no education is four times most likely to be stunted than a child whose mother has secondary or higher education. It also noted that children from the poorest 20 percent of households are also four times more likely to be stunted than children from the wealthiest 20 percent of households.

This shows that the Nigerian government, states, local governments, healthcare stakeholders, and the citizens of this country still have a lot to do into eradicating malnutrition in the country if indeed the country wants to improve its health indices, as well as its economic development. This is because global bodies have established that there is a correlation between the healthy nutrition indices of a nation and its economic prosperity.

So, let's stand up as one to eradicate malnutrition in Nigeria. It's in our hands!!!