The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has urged governments at all levels in Nigeria, to intensify efforts toward investing in nutrition programmes for the development of the country.
The UNICEF Chief Field Officer in charge of Kano and Katsina States, Madam Pathmavathi Yedla, made the call on Thursday during a one-day symposium for academia, media and Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s) on nutrition situation in Katsina State.
She said the call was necessary because there was no way a country with higher number of malnourished children could develop. Yedla said that the level of malnutrition in a country determines the percentage of its productive population.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Nigeria, Mr Jose-Antonio Canhadula, has said that the solution to Nigeria’s North-East crises resulting from the Boko Haram insurgency was political and not humanitarian.
According to Canhadula, humanitarian aid workers can only support in alleviating the sufferings of the victims of insurgency by providing protection and basic needs, which is not the solution to their problems.
The solution to their problems, he said, was for the conflict to come to an end, peace and stability returning to their communities, so that they can live a normal life like every other Nigerian citizen.
Canhadula said that these could only be achieved when the government shows the political will by taking actions to stop the lingering conflict in the North-East region and implementing peace sustaining policies.
“Humanitarian programme is not a solution to a situation like this and if we are not careful, five years from now if not much is done the situation will be disastrous.
Source: Allafrica
