Governor Bala Muhammed Abdulkadir of Bauchi State has donated a sum of N300million to the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF) to fight malnutrition among children of the state
Nuzhat Rafique, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Bauchi, disclosed this to newsmen during a press briefing, held at the UNICEF office. He thanked Governor Bala for the donation of the money.
“We thank God and His Excellency, the governor of Bauchi State, for releasing the promised amount of money to UNICEF. That’s a great support from the government for the children in Bauchi who are malnourished, who can die if the support is not provided on time,” Rafique said.
She said that UNICEF will commence the procurement process as soon as possible, described the release of the fund as big milestone.
Rafique, who explained that the release of the money followed a familiarisation visit to Governor Bala Mohammed by the new UNICEF Country Representative, Wafaa Saeed, expressed delight that the governor pledged to increase the threshold of the support to N1 billion in 2026.
“We are looking forward to that, because the need of children who are malnourished in Bauchi is huge,” she said.
He further said that “even after increasing the threshold, he talked about even raising it to one billion. So, if he gives the money, it will be matched by UNICEF to fight malnutrition in Bauchi.”
She acknowledged the contribution of the local government councils under ALGON in Bauchi who paid N100m to the fund that made the total amount contributed by Bauchi government to N300 million.
The Chief of Field Office stated that the intervention would support the procurement of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) to save malnourished children in Bauchi.
Rafique emphasised the need for long-term strategies, including behaviour change and local solutions, to prevent malnutrition.
She noted that UNICEF’s focus was not only on treatment but also on promoting proper child feeding practices and maternal care from conception to initial days of a child’s life.
“No child should suffer or die of malnutrition,” saying that it affects physical growth, cognitive development, and overall wellbeing of the victims.
According to her, prevention of malnutrition is better than treatment, saying that the UNICEF is working with traditional leaders, local government officials, religious leaders, and communities to fight the menace.
