Atiku says rising food and fuel costs are driving child malnutrition in Nigeria

 Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says rising food, fuel and transportation costs are pushing nutritious meals beyond the reach of many Nigerian families.   In a statement issued on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, his senior special assistant on public communication, Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), described Nigeria’s worsening child malnutrition figures as one of the most troubling manifestations of the cost-of-living crisis.   In its consumer price index (CPI) report on Wednesday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) put food inflation at 19.57 percent.   ‘A CHILD ONLY KNOWS WHETHER THERE IS FOOD ON THE TABLE’ Atiku cited figures presented by nutrition experts indicating that 41.1 percent of Nigerian children under five are stunted, while 19.2 percent are severely stunted.   He said the prevalence of stunting rises to 58.2 percent in the north-west, while nearly two million children are reported to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with only about two in 10 receiving treatment.   “This is the most heartbreaking face of the cost-of-living crisis. Behind every statistic is a Nigerian mother struggling to decide what her children can eat, how much they can eat and how often they can eat,” he said.     Atiku said children do not understand inflation figures but feel the effects of rising living costs through the availability and quality of food at home.   “A child does not understand inflation figures. A child only knows whether there is food on the table,” he said.   He said inadequate access to nutritious food could have lasting consequences for children’s physical development.   “When nutritious food moves beyond the reach of millions of families, the consequences eventually appear in the bodies of our children,” he said.     “Today, the country is being confronted with figures that should shock the conscience of every leader.”   The former vice-president said the malnutrition figures should be considered alongside the pressure that food, transportation and energy costs are placing on household budgets.   According to him, the NBS currently puts food inflation at 19.57 percent, while households continue to contend with high prices accumulated over recent years.   ‘WHEN FUEL BECOMES EXPENSIVE, COST ARRIVES AT DINNER TABLE’ Atiku said the link between energy costs and household welfare informed his economic programme’s focus on affordability.   “When fuel becomes expensive, transporting tomatoes from the farm becomes expensive,” he said.     “Taking rice to the market becomes expensive. Moving children to school becomes expensive. Running the neighbourhood grinding machine becomes expensive. Powering the small shop becomes expensive.   “And eventually, the additional cost arrives at the dinner table. That is why I refuse to accept an economic philosophy in which government simply watches prices rise and tells struggling citizens to endure,” Atiku said.     ‘CAN THE ORDINARY NIGERIAN AFFORD TO LIVE?’   Atiku said economic policy must be measured by its effect on the ability of ordinary Nigerians to meet their basic needs.     “Economic policy must ultimately answer a very simple question: Can the ordinary Nigerian afford to live?” he said.   He said the nutrition figures also showed the need to expand treatment for severely malnourished children and strengthen maternal and child nutrition programmes.   Atiku urged that nutrition budgets should reach communities where the needs are greatest.   “We cannot build a strong country on the bodies of hungry children. We cannot celebrate economic statistics while mothers are cutting meals and children are denied the nutrition they require to grow,” he stated.   He said his objective was to lower energy, transportation and production costs, strengthen Nigerian production, restore purchasing power and give families more financial room.

Former VP Atiku Abubakar says rising food, fuel, and transport costs are driving child malnutrition in Nigeria, affecting families’ ability to feed their c Read More: https://punchng.com/rising-food-fuel-costs-driving-child-malnutrition-says-atiku/