The Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) on Friday advocated for increase in budgetary allocation and timely release of funds to implement multisector strategic action plan on food and nutrition in Nasarawa State.
Mr Sunday Okoronkwo, Project Manager, Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria, made the appeal in Lafia during the 5-day advocacy visit to the line Ministries, Departments and Agencies on food and nutrition in the state.
The Project Manager, said CS-SUNN was working closely with the Nasarawa State Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, to ensure success of the action plan on food and nutrition in the state.
Okoronkwo said the advocacy visit became necessary to remind all the line ministries and agencies the existence of the strategic plan of action for nutrition in the state and the need to step up their budgetary allocation so as to reduce malnutrition.
“Every line ministry has a role to play, they also have the responsibility of allocating and timely release of annual basic fund require to implement those intervention that will lead to reduction in malnutrition in the state,” he said.
The project manager, while commending Nasarawa State for scoring 70 per cent and came first among other states in its commitment to fight malnutrition, said there was need to do more so that malnutrition would be a thing of the past.
Mrs Mercy Asso, CS- SUNN, Nasarawa State Coordinator, commended the ministry of finance and the state committee on nutrition for their activities especially in the area of sensitising focal persons at the grassroots, and described the fight against malnutrition as a collective one.
“The fight against malnutrition is multisectoral we need to come together, network and put our strength together to engage in this fight, when we come together we will be able to network to achieve more,” said.
Asso appealed to organisations to mainstream the food and nutrition activities in their programmes so as to send message to the residents at all levels.
In their separate responses, the coordinating ministry on nutrition, Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning and other line ministries and agencies, all pledged to support the fight against malnutrition in the state by implementing multisectoral strategic action plan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CS-SUNN while in Nasarawa State for 5-Day advocacy visit on nutrition visited the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Others are: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Nasarawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and Nasarawa Agricultural Development Programme. (NAN)
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