Nutrition
Resolving Malnutrition Challenge Amidst the Pandemic
By Reginald Onabu
The year 2020 was an unusual one in every sense of the word. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic made sure of this. To remove any doubt about the threat that the virus posed to every country in the world, the World Health Organisations (WHO) recognised the COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
Today, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic is global. There is hardly anyone who has not been affected by the pandemic to some degree. In a country like Nigeria, it has precipitated mental, emotional, social, business-related and financial impact.
Nigeria is home to over 230 million people, the bulk of whom are young. While the country has experienced relatively small numbers of COVID-19 deaths, the resurgence of a second wave is a cause for concern. Another cause for concern is the growing incidence of severe poverty and malnutrition. About 40 per cent of the nation’s population continues to live on less than $1.90 US dollars a day.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently released a poverty and inequality report which highlighted that over 83 million Nigerians are extremely poor. This report, which is a basis for measuring poverty and living standards in the country, is used to estimate a wide range of socio-economic indicators, including benchmarking of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Indeed, many children and families still lack access to affordable nutritious foods. This often results in a lack of essential nutrients in their daily diet, which can lead to severe malnutrition and protein deficiency. Protein deficiency is a negative nutritional condition produced by a deficiency of proteins in the body.
Experts indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn will probably further aggravate these issues.
In many ways, the pandemic seems to have helped to shed light on what is really important in the world today, and that is good health.
Evidently, an essential ingredient of good health is good and affordable nutrition. As the year 2021 progresses, Nigeria needs to tackle the challenge of malnutrition and protein deficiency, coupled with the pandemic.
To achieve this, some key solutions must be implemented and adapted to suit the needs of the average Nigerian. This requires a significant level of expertise and insight on the poverty and malnutrition problem in the country.
First, the government needs to deal with the malnutrition problem directly. This can be done by reducing the price of healthy food crops nationwide, reducing the cost of seedlings and arable crops being sold to farmers, thereby increasing the affordability and accessibility of agricultural inputs. This will increase food availability to a large extent, which will curb malnutrition.
The government should also implement agricultural development projects (ADPs) across Nigeria. These agricultural development projects will play a facilitating role in the production of crops, livestock, and aquaculture. For the vast majority of Nigerians, food production and agriculture must be embedded and promoted in every community to increase food availability and accessibility. The government has a responsibility to provide safe, affordable and nutritious food crops to the populace to mitigate the levels of hunger and starvation in the nation.
Secondly, the government needs to make health care affordable by creating more hospitals and health centres in the north eastern states with high malnutrition rates, while sustaining ongoing health programmes such as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the Food and Drug Programme (FDP).
The government can liaise with foreign health organisations like the World Health Organisation and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to provide quality healthcare to malnourished children and individuals.
Of course, there must be sensitization and awareness campaigns in rural communities on dietary changes, eating of fortified foods that contain valuable nutrients, and locally available food sources that are healthy and nutritious. Foods like soybeans, awara, bambara, okpa, groundnuts, and egusi are rich in nutrients that nourish the body.
Finally, non-governmental organisations can visit villages and communities to provide local food options and to educate malnourished locals on eating a healthy, balanced diet.
Nigeria has the potential to surmount all the aforementioned difficulties if these solutions can be properly and effectively implemented.
The key is proper planning.
Nestlé Nigeria is helping children learn good nutrition habits for a healthier future through the Nestlé for Healthier Kids (N4HK) program. 60 children across the 30 N4HK schools participated in the Nutrition Quiz Competition designed to help
them imbibe the new lifestyle habits they learned in-class.
Now in its fourth season, the Nutrition Quiz competition organized in collaboration
with the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, assesses the children’s knowledge on healthy nutrition, healthy hydration and an active lifestyle while enhancing recall and retention of in-class lessons under the Nestlé for Healthier Kids initiative.
Twenty schools from the three senatorial districts competed for the first prize in Ogun State, with Sokoya Memorial Wesley School Sagamu, emerging the winner. UBE Primary School Pasali, Abuja took home the first prize among the ten schools
from the six area councils who competed in the FCT.
The winners were rewarded with exciting prizes including sports gears for the teams, computers and sporting equipment for their schools.
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria, Mrs. Victoria Uwadoka said, “The Nutrition Quiz competition helps us to evaluate the
impact of the lessons on the children, as it deepens their retention of the in-class
lessons. As always, the performance of the children is impressive. I commend the educators who teach them the lessons and help them to retain the lessons through
demonstrations and other fun exercises. I would also like to recognize the contributions of our program partners including the Nutrition Society of Nigeria,
Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Ministry of Health, FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and, Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board
(SUBEB), for their continued commitment to raising a healthier generation.
Major Edith Nwachinemerem (Rtd), Chairman, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, FCT Chapter, also commended the impact of N4HK, “The Nutrition Society of Nigeria
appreciates the partnership with Nestlé Nigeria to address the need for nutrition education in early life. The Nestlé for Healthier Kids (N4HK) program helps to establish a good foundation for healthy eating habits and provides nutritional knowledge that a child can apply throughout life. I am delighted with the performance of the children through the various stages of the competition and applaud the winning schools for a job well done.”
The contestants and teachers of the winning schools expressed their excitement.
Khadijat Ibrahim represented Sokoya Memorial Wesley School Sagamu in the Ogun State finals. She is a primary five pupil. “I am so excited at winning the first
position in this competition as I put a lot of effort into preparing for it. I want to thank God, my parents and teachers. I am so happy that I have made them proud.
I really enjoyed the N4HK lessons, particularly on good nutrition and healthy lifestyles”.
For Khadijat’s teacher, Ganiyat Odulele, winning the first prize was an ambition achieved. “After last year’s competition, I determined that children from my school, Sokoya Memorial, will come out tops this year. This win has made the
months of preparation for the competition worth it. The N4HK program has not only been beneficial to the children but also to us the teachers. The annual
teachers training has equipped us with relevant healthy lifestyle information that we also implement in our homes.”
Nestlé for Healthier Kids (N4HK) is a global flagship initiative which aims to help 50 million children globally, lead healthier lives by 2030 as the company continues to make progress on its commitment to unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone today and for future generations.
The school-based program in Nigeria supports the company’s commitment by raising awareness of the benefits of healthy nutrition and an active lifestyle. Over 8,000 primary five children in the beneficiary public schools are reached annually,
through the Nestlé for Healthier Kids program.
Nestlé Nigeria and African Cleanup Initiative (ACI)
Maggi, an iconic brand from the stable of Nestlé – the good food, good life
company, cleaned up Agege Market recently with a team of volunteers from
Nestlé Nigeria and African Cleanup Initiative (ACI) – an NGO. The clean-up
activity took place on Thursday March 24, 2022.
Speaking on the initiative, the Category and Marketing Manager for Culinary,
Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Nwando Ajene said, “Our company is leading efforts in
tackling post consumption waste management through various initiatives
including this clean-up exercise. In addition to removing waste from the
environment, we are also raising awareness and promoting behavioral change, which are both very critical to achieving a cleaner environment through proper waste management.
We are happy to partner with the African Cleanup Initiative (ACI), and all the Nestlé volunteers who have come out today to show their commitment to rejuvenating our planet.”
Also commenting during the clean-up activity, Alexander Akhigbe, the founder
of African Cleanup Initiative (ACI) mentioned that ACI is proud to cleanup
Oniwaya Market, Agege with Maggi. Volunteers from both teams demonstrated
a high level of enthusiasm that aided the effective waste removal efforts. This
partnership with MAGGI also serves as an added opportunity for ACI to
“environgelize” for environmental sanity and sustainability. We are also happy
with the opportunity to donate cleaning tools like packers and brooms to the market team which was supported by Maggi.
Nestlé is committed to packaging and delivering her products in ways that are
safe to continuously protect the environment for future generations. The
company has also announced ambitious sustainability goals to advance the health of our planet, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions to achieve net zero by 2050.
The company recognizes that multi-stakeholder action is required to achieve this objective and is therefore working with partners including other stakeholders in the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), Wecyclers and Chanja Datti and ACI on the management of post-consumer packaging plastic materials.
These collaborative efforts help to advance Nestlé’s vision that none of its
packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfills or as litter, in oceans, lakes or
rivers.
In 2021 alone, over 4,756.5TMT of plastic waste was removed from the environment through the collection initiatives and community projects of FBRA and Nestlé Nigeria partnerships with Wecyclers and Chanja Datti.
A total of 99.4 Kilograms of solid waste including 4.1 Kilograms of recyclable
waste was removed from the environment during the recent market clean-up
exercise. The collected waste was segregated and sent for further processing.
By Elvis Eromosele
Women are the bedrock of society. They, very literally, feed, clothe and inspire the world.
It is not far-fetched to see how women are the sinew that holds families and the globe together.
In many homes, women make the most important buying decisions, particularly as it relates to what to eat. Women ensure that the world is fed.
At every point in time across the world, regardless of the time of day, a woman is shopping for household supplies of food. Every day they struggle with the choices, labour over the cost and agonize over portions. It is between what is available and affordable, quantity and quality, ease of preparation (read convenience) and value. It is a never-ending struggle.
The Nigeria Protein Deficiency Report 2019 supports this assertion. The report of the survey, which was designed to empirically determine the current status and dimensions of protein deficiency in Nigeria, sheds light on food consumption patterns among Nigerians. According to the report, “51 per cent of respondents do not have adequate protein-rich foods due largely to high cost.” The report also showed that the fundamental factors determining the necessity of meal items consumed across the country are availability (79%) and affordability (68%).
It also reveals something that most Nigerians would probably expect, that carbohydrates are the most consumed food amongst Nigerians. Rice topped the list with 91%, closely followed by ‘swallows’ (such as eba, amala, fufu, pounded yam, etc.) at 83%. 58% of sampled institutional providers (dieticians and nutritionists) insisted that the protein intake of Nigerians is generally quite insufficient.
The challenge is that when people do not get adequate amounts of protein from their diet, it leads to protein deficiency. Protein deficiency is today a major cause of malnutrition, especially among children.
In Nigeria, several reports indicate that protein deficiency poses not only a major health problem but also an economic and social burden. It is the most important risk factor for illness and death, with millions of pregnant women and young children particularly affected.
It is time to go on the offensive in the fight against protein deficiency. It is time to recruit the most important buying decision-maker in the home. To curb the incidences of protein deficiency in Nigeria, women must become more involved in the battle. They already do so much. They are heroes without capes. But women can ensure that the country, nay the world, is fed right.
To involve women to do more, they must be educated and empowered. Women empowerment, undoubtedly, benefits the nation, it leads to an improvement in the nutritional status of families, households and the nation at large. Yes, women empowerment will reduce poverty, enrich and boost the nutritional status and enhance national economic performance. Women empowerment is a win-win in every way.
As domestic implementers in the homes, the choices women make, many times, determine the nutrition status of their families. That choice, however, is premised on several factors, including literacy, income and available food options. This is precisely why women education and empowerment are key and doubly important.
The best time to start is today.
Of course, there are also cultural issues. With over 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria, it is not surprising that there are as many food cultures. There are places where children can’t eat eggs so as not to become spoilt. In others, women cannot eat gizzards when there is a man present. There are several more just as bad and many others that are worse.
Invariably, it would require a massive culture shift to eliminate the various cultural practices that lead to malnutrition and protein deficiency in Nigeria.
Massive sensitization at the community level would be a great way to start. This should take into cognizance existing knowledge, attitudes and practices within the communities. It would mean being willing to confront the communities with the realities, dangers and causes of malnutrition. It would involve awareness campaigns focused on the benefits of protein nutrient-rich meals. The Nigeria Protein Deficiency Awareness campaign, aka Protein Challenge, is already working in this space. It seeks to create massive nationwide awareness of Nigeria’s protein deficiency situation to help mitigate occurrences everywhere in the country, with particular emphasis on soy as a cost-effective source of protein.
In the fight against protein deficiency, women are the world’s secret weapon. Women will ensure that protein deficiency is vanquished in Nigeria, one family at a time.
Women will save the world.
Every time is a good time to celebrate women. The month of March is particularly important because of the commemoration of International Women’s Day. This is a day set aside specifically to celebrate women. This year especially more so as women again continue to contribute immensely to efforts to save the world.
The UN Women announced that the theme for International Women’s Day, 2021 (IWD 2021) is
“Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.” The theme celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Women make up at least half the world’s population. Their contribution cannot be understated. Their celebration must be always on.
Happy International Women’s Day 2021!
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