YOBE RAISES ALARM OVER DIVERSION, MISUSE OF THERAPEUTIC FOOD FOR MALNOURISHED CHILDREN
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Agency Report
The Yobe State Government has raised concern over the diversion and misuse of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), warning that the practice is undermining efforts to combat child malnutrition across the state’s 17 local government areas.
The Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Babagana Kundi-Machina, disclosed this during a high-level stakeholders’ engagement organised by the state government in Damaturu.
Kundi-Machina said the state government, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), had invested millions of naira through matching grants to procure the nutritional commodities for malnourished children, but lamented that some individuals were diverting the supplies.
He revealed that the state government and UNICEF recently procured more than 3,000 cartons of the therapeutic food to reduce the burden of malnutrition among children.
“Recently, the Yobe State Government and UNICEF procured over 3,000 cartons of the nutritional food just to reduce the number of malnourished children, but they are being diverted. Even if the Yobe State Government spends billions of naira and this attitude does not stop, we would still continue to face challenges,” he said.
Also speaking, the State Nutrition Officer, Hadiza Maina-Adam, warned against the indiscriminate consumption of the therapeutic food, stressing that it should only be administered under medical prescription.
She explained that the commodity is specifically designed for children between six and 23 months suffering from malnutrition, as well as other eligible beneficiaries such as lactating mothers.
According to her, cases have been recorded where older children, including those aged 10 years, consume the product despite not being the intended beneficiaries.
“This commodity is meant for children between six months and 23 months, but sometimes you see a child of 10 years taking it. We are really misusing it after the government spent millions of naira,” Maina-Adam said.
The stakeholders’ meeting, attended by security personnel, was convened to raise awareness on the growing cases of theft, diversion and misuse of the therapeutic food and to strengthen measures aimed at safeguarding the commodities for their intended beneficiaries.
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