How to combat child malnutrition – Ondo First Lady
By Maria Famakinwa
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The wife of Ondo State Governor, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has identified adequate food production as a major factor to combat child malnutrition in Nigeria.
The Ondo First Lady said this while speaking as a participant at the National Women in Power Conference, organised by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with the Nigeria Governors Wives’ Forum and other nutritional agencies, held in Abuja.
According to her, the campaign for adequate nutrition would yield undesired results if there is no adequate and enough food to consume, hence the need to invest massively in agriculture.
Mrs. Akeredolu affirmed that if girls were educated and enlightened about adequate nutrition, it would bring about a healthy population.
She explained that since a girl grows to become a woman, wife, and mother, she will ensured that her family eats good diets and consequently, prevents malnutrition.
She cited her BEMORE Empowered Girls summer bootcamp through which healthy diet is promoted among girls in secondary schools during two weeks summer bootcamp in Ondo State as an example.
Earlier in her opening speech, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Wives’ Forum, Dr. Mariya Aminu Tambuwal, who spoke on the conference theme “Women in Power: Harnessing our position in improving Nutrition Outcomes”, averred that healthy nutrition must continue to be a major public health problem in Nigeria.
She identified inadequate water and sanitation as one of the factors contributing to malnutrition in Nigeria.
Mrs. Aminu Tambuwal charged mothers to ensure that children get appropriate nourishment adding that wives of governors must strive to influence nutrition matter in their states.
The conference came up with a 5-point commitment plan, adopted by the Governors Wives’ Forum, which include creating awareness on exclusive breast feeding, advocacy for six months paid maternity leave, cultivation of schools gardens, advocacy on establishment of creche at offices, and budgeting and timely release of funds on nutrition.